


before I leave (let me show you)

by scully_romanova_of_asshai



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, aka scscau, also I apologize for the extensive color war details not really sure what happened there, anywayyy, but it be like that sometimes, except nia and eve who are like two years younger and the counselors who are older, fun fact I was definitely in love with my best friend at summer camp, like they're basically dating the whole time even when they're not, pretty much everyone is the same age bc the show can't keep track of their ages anyway, still thought I was straight tho, tbh really hoping no one who went to my camp reads this bc they will Know, this truly has no plot I'm sorry they're just soft and gay, various other characters but it's really mostly kara and lena
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:47:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 32,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26723890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scully_romanova_of_asshai/pseuds/scully_romanova_of_asshai
Summary: It's their last year at camp, and Kara decides it's time to finally do something about her crush.
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 87
Kudos: 342
Collections: Supercorp Big Bang 2020





	before I leave (let me show you)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ookami777](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ookami777/gifts), [Bluestonearden](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluestonearden/gifts).



> the title is, in fact, from golden boy (yes. the eurovision song.)
> 
> i've had a great time writing for scbb! definitely check out the work from everyone else!
> 
> huge thanks to my cheerleader (@rainbowgoatheartattack on tumblr) and to my artists, Ookami777 and Bluestonearden!

Kara Danvers has known Lena Luthor for five years now.

Kara Danvers has had a crush on Lena Luthor for four of them.

Kara Danvers has spoken to Lena Luthor exactly one time when she wasn’t required to.

It’s not that she doesn’t want to talk to her – she does _(rao, she really does)_. She remembers every second of the one conversation they’ve had _(replays it in her head every once in a while. more in the summer, understandably)_ , what Lena said, the slight lilt of an accent that Kara didn’t quite recognize but wished she could hear more of, how she never stopped moving her hands the entire time, the way her neck flexed when she looked to the side for a moment upon hearing a distant shout _(okay, so maybe kara thinks about it more than just every once in a while)_.

But Lena seems fine on her own.

She’s kind to everyone, polite, participates in all of the group activities, but she never really seems to get closer to anyone than she has to. She’s always carrying a book around with her, hands stained with ink from the notes she makes in the margins whenever she has the opportunity to open it and read, and while she somehow doesn’t make it seem unpersonable or awkward _(though kara may just be a bit biased)_ , it certainly doesn’t make her easier to talk to.

They’ve never been in the same bunk, so Kara doesn’t know if she’s different in there, but it doesn’t really seem like it from the way she interacts with her bunkmates, from what Kara can see. She seems somewhat friendly with a kind brunette named Sam, but even with her she always looks a bit reserved, despite the years they’ve spent living together.

All this to say – Kara is kind of scared. What if all Lena wants is to be left alone? What if she doesn’t want to talk to Kara, and that’s why she never has since that one time? What if the sound of Kara’s voice reminds her of a painful memory and she bursts into tears the second she starts talking? _(okay, maybe the last one is a little unlikely, but kara has had years to think of reasons not to talk to lena at this point)_.

But this is their last year at camp, and Kara is _determined_ to get closer to Lena this year. Which starts with talking to her. Alone. Unprompted. _Oh Rao._

\----------

She gets an opportunity during free time the next day, stumbling upon Lena after a run, hair still damp from her shower, coming to a stuttered halt in the middle of the field when she spots her.

She’s sitting in the gazebo, a book spread out in front of her, legs tucked up against her with a look of intense concentration on her face, pencil held up with the eraser resting against her lip.

Kara clears her throat after a few moments, shuffling her feet. She can feel herself blushing as bright, piercing green eyes dart upwards, meeting her own, a perfect eyebrow quirked above one of them in question.

“Yes?” she says softly, a slight lilt to her voice, and Kara…

…Kara is not prepared for this. She should have prepared something to say, anything.

“Hi!” she blurts out, too excited, too loud, and she winces.

Lena’s smile widens, slightly. “Hello, Kara,” she says voice wrapping around the syllables of Kara’s name in a way she feels like she would be content listening to forever.

And yet somehow, despite that, and despite about a million other things, the next thing Kara finds herself saying is, “You know my name?” _(she really should’ve prepared for this)_.

Lena’s brow furrows in confusion, and Kara feels like burrowing into the ground and staying there for the rest of her life. “Yes, of course I do,” Lena says, but it sounds more like a question than a statement. “I’ve known you for five years.” She pauses, and then, “Do you _not_ know _my_ name?”

“No!” Kara yelps, “I definitely know your name.” Lena frowns, and Kara panics. “Not like, in a bad way, I mean, I don’t even know how knowing your name would be bad, but it’s not, I promise. I just have always wanted to talk to you, and we never really did except that one time that I remember sometimes. _Oh Rao_ , that sounds really creepy, I promise I’m not creepy! I’m going to stop talking now, I think.” She claps a hand over her mouth to stop herself from saying anything more.

Lena’s eyes are _wide_ by the end of her rambling mess of a speech, but she seems to take it in stride. “You remember our whole conversation from three years ago?”

“I wouldn’t say the _whole_ conversation,” Kara hedges, but Lena raises an eyebrow again and Kara sighs. “Okay, yes, I remember the whole conversation. But _you_ remembered that it was three years ago without me telling you, I don’t think _you_ have any right to talk.”

Lena’s cheeks pinken and she looks off to the side, and Kara would think she looked just like she did back then if not for the fact _(and yes, it is a concrete, indisputable fact)_ that she’s grown even _more_ beautiful over the few years that have passed – Kara thinks it’s a miracle she’s still standing here, able to engage in a _(debatably)_ coherent conversation with her, and didn’t just pass out at first glance.

The late-afternoon summer sunlight caresses the sharp line of her jaw, illuminating her side profile and making it abundantly clear that it’s just as striking as her eyes _(not that kara needed any convincing)_. As Kara watches, dimly registering that her own cheeks match Lena’s now, she brings a hand up to tuck her hair behind her ear, long fingers following through afterwards to sift through the loose, dark curls that sweep over her shoulders and down her back. Kara gulps, blinking rapidly.

And then she realizes Lena’s lips are moving, and she’s _saying words. Words_ that Kara should probably be _listening_ to.

“…right?” Lena says, looking at her expectantly, eyes twinkling with amusement because she _knows. Oh Rao._

“Right,” she says, voice high-pitched and squeaky in a way she’s _sure_ Lena notices. She can feel her cheeks burning.

“Oh,” Lena says, “so you agree? Really, I must say I’m surprised.”

Kara’s eyes widen, and she opens her mouth to say _something_ , though she can’t say what it will be, since she has no idea what Lena _said_ , but she’s stopped by Lena’s laughter. _Like bells_ , she thinks, dazed.

“ _Your face_ ,” Lena chokes out in between bursts of laughter, and Kara doesn’t really want Lena to be _laughing_ at her face, but she’ll take what she can get at this point. “Oh, Kara, I was only teasing,” she says, finally calming, the accent that Kara still can’t quite place slightly stronger than it usually is _(not that kara has much experience with it to compare, as already_ _established)_ , an intriguing tidbit that Kara tucks away as something to remember about Lena _._

“Rude,” she mumbles, and Lena sobers quickly.

“I’m sorry,” she says, and she looks almost – panicked?

Kara can’t imagine why that would be, but she certainly can’t allow it, and she reaches a hand toward her instinctively before thinking better of it. “ _Hey_ , I was joking,” she says. “Mostly,” she adds, after a second, with a wink.

“ _Oh_ ,” Lena says softly. “I’m sorry,” she apologizes again, and Kara frowns _(is she apologizing for apologizing?)_. Lena opens her mouth to say something more before seeming to rethink it, drawing her lower lip between her teeth, a tiny furrow in her brow. Kara can’t decide where to look. She settles on a spot over her shoulder, deciding it’s the safest option at the moment.

“It was nice talking to you, Lena,” she says, enjoying the way the other girl’s name feels in her mouth. She almost mouths it again, before realizing she should absolutely _not_ do that, feeling her cheeks heat for what must be the millionth time since she’d walked over. “I should probably let you get back to that though.” She inclines her head towards the book still lying on the bench next to Lena. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

Lena smiles softly, lip loosening from between her teeth, but not quite escaping yet. Kara stares more intently over her shoulder. “It was a welcome interruption, Kara.” _(kara still feels like she could listen to lena say her name forever)_ “I hope this isn’t the last one.”

Kara blinks twice before she can fully register what Lena just said, her mouth dropping open slightly in delighted awe as she realizes that she somehow didn’t ruin everything with this mess of a conversation. She blinks five more times as she manages to stutter out, “Yeah, me too,” before backing away with an enthusiastic wave and nearly tripping over her feet when she brings herself to turn away. There’s the faintest laugh from behind her, and her cheeks burn, but it’s more from how wide her smile is than from embarrassment.

She thinks they might be friends now.

\----------

It’s with this thought in mind that she walks over to Lena when she spots her the next day at the elective fair.

Lena’s talking to Sam, the two of them leaning casually back against the fence surrounding the tennis courts, where all the tables are set up. She has one arm wrapped across her chest, the other gesticulating lazily in front of her as she speaks. Sam is watching attentively, a warm smile on her face as she nods along to whatever Lena’s saying, and Kara feels a squeeze of _something_ in her chest _(it’s certainly not jealousy; she obviously has no reason to be jealous). We’re (maybe) friends now,_ she thinks. _Friends say hi to one another._

Sam notices her approach first, face lighting up for some reason – it’s not like she really knows Kara; they’ve spoken a few times, but only during activities where their bunks come together, or when they’ve both been assigned the same day to set up in the dining hall. Nonetheless, she seems excited now, calling out her name, despite the fact that they’re only about ten feet apart at this point. Lena spins rapidly, wincing as she bangs her arms against the fence. Sam brings a hand to her mouth in a poor attempt to stifle her laughter and receives two glares.

“Thanks for laughing at my pain, _Samantha_ ,” Lena says, just as Kara asks Lena “Are you okay?”

Sam just rolls her eyes, although there’s a fond smile on her face _(maybe she and lena are closer than kara thought. the thought doesn’t make her feel better)_. “I _just_ remembered I promised Lyra I would talk to her about something, so I’ll see you guys later, okay?” She’s already backing away as she says it. “Nice to see you, Kara!” Kara smiles confusedly and gives her a nod, but she’s already gone.

And that leaves her with Lena. Alone. Well, as alone as they can be surrounded by the rest of the campers waiting for the fair to start.

There’s an awkward moment of silence as Kara tries to subtly look over at Lena standing beside her out of the corner of her eye. She doesn’t think she succeeds at the subtle part. _Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea._

“ _So_ ,” Lena says brightly _(brightly for lena, anyway. she sucks in a big breath before she says it; apparently bright takes a bit of effort)_ , “any idea what you’re going to choose?”

Kara hums. “Not sure yet.” _Be casual. Be casual. Staring at her intently because you’re trying too hard to be casual is not casual._ “Do you want to, maybe, look around with me?” She turns away as soon as she says it, blushing _again_ , unable to look into the slightly different yet equally piercing shades of Lena’s eyes, or at the way her cheeks are already slightly sunburnt _(she’s pretty sure lena doesn’t go outside the entire rest of the year that she’s not here)_. She starts to backtrack, “bet you’ve already decided though, you seem like you’re good at making decisions, not that –” but Lena cuts her off.

“I’d love to look around with you, Kara.”

Kara blinks. Smiles. “Okay, great,” she squeaks out.

They fall silent again. Kara musters the strength to turn and meet Lena’s eyes to find the other girl’s gaze flitting away, cheeks redder than they were just a few minutes ago. _She really does get sunburnt fast, huh._

They’re saved from further silence _(though not from further awkwardness)_ by a too-loud shout from the center of the courts _(the megaphone really isn’t necessary when they’re all standing within a thirty-foot radius)_. “Alright guys, thirty minutes, then you’ll fill out your preference sheets, you know the drill.”

Lena turns to Kara, an eyebrow raised. “Shall we?” She looks like she’s preparing for battle, and Kara offers her a joking arm, just barely managing not to choke on her tongue when Lena actually _takes_ it and tugs her into the now semi-crowded center of the courts.

They look at every single table upon Kara’s insistence that they have to for the _‘full experience,’_ even if they already know that they’re not going to choose something _(‘yes, that includes ropes, lena’) (she realizes afterwards that that comment maybe shows a little more of her hand than she’d like - she’s clearly been paying enough attention to lena to notice how much she hates the ropes course) (she’s a little offended about that, not gonna lie. ropes course is her favorite part of camp)_.

Kara impresses Lena by managing to snag five separate samples from the cooking table _(she thinks it’s also impressive that she manages to fit all five in her mouth at the same time. based on her expression, lena finds that somewhat less impressive) (it’s fine. compromise) (plus lena does still give kara her own (single) sample. so she can’t have been that disgusted. kara considers it a win)_.

They pass by Sam once, looking suspiciously _not_ -busy, but she speeds away with a jaunty wave when she spots them, and Kara is really just glad to be able to spend some time with Lena, so she doesn’t question it.

Lena seems somewhat intrigued by a few different things as they walk around, Kara unable to stop herself from cataloguing each and every reaction she has _(to be fair, she doesn’t really want to stop herself)_. But the table she keeps flashing glances at, almost unconsciously, or at least it seems that way to Kara, is the chess table.

There’s a single chess board in the center of the table, nothing else on top of it but the feet of the bored-looking counselor running the booth, which are propped up on one corner as he leans back in his chair so that it’s resting on only two legs. Kara thinks he’s trying to look cool, but it’s not really working; as she follows Lena’s gaze over there once again, he tips back just a _touch_ too far and the chair falls over, leaving him crumpled on the ground with a scowl.

Lena tenses, obviously seeing the fall as well, and Kara squeezes her arm. “ _Hey,_ he’s fine.” Sure enough, he’s getting up with what looks like much more cursing than Kara thinks is required, though she’ll give him the benefit of the doubt – maybe he’s saying something else. “You should sign up for chess,” she continues. “You keep looking over there. Not that I’m like, _watching_ or anything, obviously, just, I noticed.”

Lena laughs softly, turning away from the table and towards her. “I don’t think everyone would appreciate it very much if I always beat them.”

Kara’s eyes widen slightly in surprise. “Well that’s quite confident of you.”

Lena looks a bit confused for a second, brow furrowing, but evidently decides to ignore her confusion in favor of saying, “It’s not confident if it’s a fact.” And Kara feels her cheeks turn bright red as her eyes widen even further because that’s _hot_.

“Well how about I do chess with you?” she asks. “Then if no one else will play you can still play me.”

“You know how to play chess?” Lena asks excitedly, before calming. “I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“I absolutely know how to play chess.” _(kara absolutely does not know how to play chess)_ “And you’re not asking, I’m offering.”

“Okay,” Lena says hesitantly, drawing out the word. They’ve migrated back over to the fence at this point, the half hour almost up. “But only if you also choose something that we’ll both do.”

“I’m _choosing_ to do chess,” Kara argues, but it’s a weak argument and they both know it, so she sighs. “Alright, if you insist, but you definitely don’t have to.” Lena just gives her a look, and she glances around, trying to decide what she’s going to pick. “I was thinking about choosing the general sports elective.” She glances towards Lena to see what she thinks and sees her face go pale. “I can choose something else though!”

“No, no, no, the whole point is that if you’re going to do something I want to do, I’ll also do something you want to do. I just,” she pauses here for a moment, a look of distaste on her face. “I don’t really do _sports_.”

“I really don’t want to make you do something you don’t want to do, Lena,” Kara frowns. She feels kind of like she’s forcing Lena into this, despite the fact that really Lena is mostly forcing _herself_ into this for some reason. “I can definitely show you how to _‘do sports’_ though.”

Lena still sounds slightly hesitant when she says, “Okay. That could be…fun.” She pauses, hesitates once again, “I don’t have a sports bra though.”

Kara blinks. “Oh. Well you can borrow one if you want.”

Lena frowns, bites her lip, eyes darting away from Kara’s own. “I don’t really know if that would fit.”

Kara blinks. Blinks again. _Oh._ She struggles to keep her eyes from dropping downwards. Her voice is strained when she responds, and she’s glad that Lena is no longer looking at her. “ _Oh._ Well you can try, I guess, and if it doesn’t I’m sure we can find someone else who will lend you one. Alex maybe. Or Sam.”

They nod tightly at the same time, almost to themselves, as neither is able to see the other one doing so, and then part with _(slightly shaky)_ smiles to go get forms from their own counselors. Kara salutes Lena with hers once she’s done, and the brunette waves back from where she’s standing amongst the other members of her bunk, a steadier smile on her face.

And when Kara shows up to Chess two days later, she’s excited to find Lena there, and even more excited to find out they’ve both ended up in General Sports as well _(perhaps a bit more excited than lena is about the latter)_.

\----------

She starts spending a lot more time with Lena after that. In their shared electives, of course _(she now knows exactly why lena was so confident that she would beat anyone who attempted to challenge her in chess) (in her defense, how was she supposed to know that she was literally a world youth champion?) (lena also learns very quickly that kara does not actually know how to play chess. she insists on taking the black pieces, which means kara has to go first, disrupting her plan of learning how the pieces move by watching lena use them. so she takes a bishop and hops it right over a pawn and straight across the board. lena seems to find it amusing at least, and kara can’t say she’s at all unhappy having lena teach her something, so it works out) (‘any other skills I should be warned of in advance?’ ‘well…I’m pretty good at fencing.’ ‘fencing is a sport! I thought you didn’t do sports.’ ‘okay. the only sports I do are chess and fencing.’ ‘did you hear me say chess is a sport? because I’m pretty sure I didn’t.’ ‘…’ ‘fine, chess is a sport.’)_ , but also during free time, walking and talking, or finding somewhere to sit where Lena can read and Kara can work on some writing _(and if some of that writing is about lena, she’s ninety nine percent sure that no one else at camp except alex can read russian, so no one has to know) (though of course that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a mini heart attack every time lena so much as glances up from her book, because somehow she must know, if not what kara’s writing, then what she’s feeling at the very least)_.

But Kara thinks it’s the group activities that make the most impression on everyone else – and that make their way back to Alex on the other side of camp _(alex had learned how to intimidate information out of winn a long, long time ago. some pointed staring was really all it took at this point)_.

Whatever the case, when Kara takes advantage of the extra free time they get on Wednesdays to walk through the wooded path to the other side of camp and visit Alex where she’s in her first year as a counselor for the younger campers, the first words out of her sister’s mouth are, “So what’s up with you and Lena Luthor?”

“Lena Luthor? I don’t…I don’t know who that is.” Kara groans internally. Also externally. She doesn’t know what possessed her to say that.

Alex just rolls her eyes, shaking her head. “Well I’ve had to hear you talk about her for years now despite you never actually talking _to_ her, so that’s a lie.” Kara’s attempted protest is silenced with a sharply raised eyebrow and she has the sudden horrible _(yet strangely hopeful)_ thought that Lena and Alex might actually have a lot in common _(though lena is much nicer, she must say)_.

Alex nods to herself, apparently proud, and Kara feels the familiar urge to push her into some kind of water - a puddle or something _(she’d become quite familiar with it after gaining a sibling)_. But they’re not very close to the pool, and Alex is a counselor now, so she deems it too much of a risk _(she still looks around for a puddle. no such luck. it hasn’t rained since their arrival)_. “So I guess you finally spoke to her, huh? I heard you guys have been hanging out a lot.”

“Okay, one,” Kara says, holding one finger up. Alex reaches forward and folds it back into her hand. Kara switches hands. “ _One._ I have spoken to her before. And two –”

“Oh, yes, I remember now,” Alex interrupts. She clears her throat, before speaking in a high-pitched voice. “ _Oh, Alex, I spoke to Lena Luthor today. Her voice is like a song, and her eyes are like beacons._ ”

“ _Two_ ,” Kara says pointedly, arms crossed, and if there’s a bit of a petulant tone to her voice, well, who could blame her? “Who told you that?”

“I have my sources.” Kara makes a mental note to frown at Winn when she sees him at dinner _(she’s not as intimidating as alex, but she can pull it off when she wants to. and, to be fair, winn is not very hard to intimidate)_. “And it’s not like people haven’t noticed, Kara.”

“I haven’t even seen you until today! Don’t you have better things to do?”

A small figure barrels into Alex’s side. “Yeah, Big D, don’t you have better things to do?” Alex stumbles to the side, but Kara notes with interest that her arm comes up for a moment to wrap around the person who’s crashed into her, before brushing against their shoulder and hastily making its way back to her side. The new arrival seems to have no such qualms, leaning hard into Alex in a way that would get Kara pushed away on most days.

“Sawyer, I’ve told you to stop calling me that,” Alex says, but it’s more of a whine than anything else. Kara feels a big smile begin to draw its way across her face and brings up a hand to hide it behind. The girl, Sawyer, apparently, winks at her conspiratorially, then brings a finger to her lips when Alex drops her head into her hands. Kara nods vigorously, perhaps too much so, because Alex notices when she brings her head back up and looks back and forth between them suspiciously.

Sawyer saves Kara from potential death by Alex though, swooping in with her hand outstretched. “I’m Maggie, by the way.” Alex looks hilariously disgruntled to no longer have her leaning against her. Kara’s grin widens. “You must be Kara. I’ve heard a lot about you.” At what she must take to be a confused look from Kara, which is really just an attempt to hide her excitement at the way Alex literally can’t take her eyes off of Maggie, she elaborates. “We’re co-counselors, your sister and I.” She wraps her arm jocularly around Alex. Alex beams and both Maggie and Kara pretend not to notice. “Big D here talks about you a lot.” Alex noticeably doesn’t protest the nickname this time. “Also, she’s right. People have been talking about you and Luthor.”

Kara’s eyes widen slightly and Alex whips her head towards Maggie. They both speak at the same time:

“How long have you been listening to us?”

“Why do people care about me and Lena?”

Maggie responds to Alex first. “I didn’t want to interrupt a sister chat.”

“You literally did exactly that.”

“Well,” Maggie shrugs, unrepentant, “you gave me too good of an opportunity to pass up.” Alex has no response to that and Maggie turns to Kara. “As for you, everyone knows Luthor as the weird girl who’s always reading and doesn’t really talk to anyone.” Kara feels her shoulders tense up, and she frowns at Maggie. “Hey, calm down. I’m not saying any of that is bad, I’m just saying that’s what people think. So that’s why people are talking about you two. It’s unexpected.”

Kara’s frown deepens. “I guess. Lena’s not weird though. She’s wonderful.”

Maggie smiles indulgently at her, cheeks dimpling, as Alex halfheartedly rolls her eyes beside her. “I bet she is,” Maggie says, clapping Kara on the back, and it kind of sounds like she’s making fun of her, but it doesn’t feel like it, so Kara just smiles softly back.

Her smile only widens as Maggie reveals that the reason she’d come to find Alex was to relieve her from her watch post and Alex insists on staying with her for her own term.

Kara leaves with a quick hug that they both pretend not to enjoy, and a promise to visit again soon _(‘you could come over to my side too, you know’ ‘well, you see, I have these things called responsibilities. I know you don’t know what those are…’ ‘alexxx’ ‘bring your girlfriend next time, little d’ ‘maggieee’)_.

She practically skips back over the path to B-side. She doesn’t find Lena in the gazebo like she expects to, instead looking around for a few minutes and discovering her sitting on the ground, leant up against one of the side walls of her bunk.

There’s a book lying open in her lap, but she’s not looking at it, head tipped back against the building and eyes closed. The sun shines prettily down on her and Kara takes a moment to admire the calm look on her face, the sharp line of her jaw, the curve of her neck. As she watches, her eyelashes flutter slightly, the light too bright, even from behind her eyelids.

Kara flops down beside her. “I think my sister’s gay.” Lena yelps, startled, and nearly bangs her head back against the wall, saved only by Kara’s hand quickly darting in to stop it. “Sorry,” she says sheepishly.

“Hello to you too,” Lena says, amused, a hand coming up to shade her eyes for a moment as she squints at Kara before brushing a few loose strands of dark hair behind her ear. “I take it you found Alex then?”

“You don’t sound very excited by my news,” Kara pouts.

Lena is once again leaning back against the wall behind her, having recovered from being startled, and she languidly rolls her head to face Kara. “Well,” she drawls, “I’m not personally invested in whether your sister is gay, Kara.” She pauses, and then adds, glancing casually down at her nails, running the pads of her thumbs across the tops of them, “besides, I’ve known Alex was gay since before I knew _I_ was gay.”

Kara blinks. She’s not exactly sure which part of that sentence she’s stuck on, but she’s definitely stuck on _something_. “You knew Alex was gay before you knew you were gay,” she repeats, feeling her cheeks heat. Lena nods, a small, almost shy smile on her face. “You’re gay,” Kara says, a statement, not a question.

“Yes,” Lena responds anyway, “I’m a lesbian,” her enunciation crisp, but there’s an almost inaudible tremble in her voice, and she’s turned away from Kara, eyes hazily shifting around the space in front of them.

Kara reaches out, takes her wrist in her hand, brushes her thumb lightly back and forth to sooth Lena’s nervous jolt at the contact. She allows herself just a moment to marvel at the softness of Lena’s skin before she looks up. Lena’s shoulders are tense, and she’s tugged her lower lip between her teeth. She’s looking more purposefully away from Kara now. “That’s great,” Kara says softly, leaning down slightly in an attempt to catch her gaze. “I mean it’s great when anyone is gay. But it’s also great that you are gay. Specifically.” She bites her own lip to stop herself from speaking further.

Lena turns to look up at her from beneath her eyelashes, an attempt at a smirk just barely brushing across her lips, though the effect is somewhat lessened by the wetness of her eyes. She blinks heavily, eyelashes sticking together for a moment. “Me, specifically, huh?” There’s a smile in her voice, but there’s a wobble in it too. Kara shifts, slow enough that Lena can stop her if she wants to, and puts an arm around her shoulder.

Lena doesn’t stop her, the opposite, in fact, tucking herself in close to Kara’s side. Kara feels a warmth in her chest, almost thinks if someone looked at her right now they’d be able to see her heart glowing through her ribcage.

And when she feels a few tears drop onto her chest as well, just soaking through the fabric of her t-shirt, she just squeezes Lena’s shoulder softly in acknowledgement.

They’re quiet for a few minutes, not speaking, and there’s a tension in the air. Kara knows she’s waiting for something, though not what it is, exactly, that she’s waiting for, and at the same time she feels she’d be content to just wait and listen to Lena’s breaths for as long as she needed her to.

Lena doesn’t need her to wait too long though. “I haven’t told anyone that before,” she says, voice nearly inaudible.

Kara makes an effort not to move, not wanting there to be any chance of Lena thinking she’d ever react badly to what she’s saying. And then she thinks maybe going completely tense could be seen as a poor reaction, and allows her hand to slip down Lena’s arm towards her hip and releases a _(hopefully, but probably not actually subtle)_ sigh of relief when Lena seems to sink into her.

“I mean, Sam knows,” she continues, still soft, but slightly less scared-sounding, “but I never told her, really.” Kara frowns, and then frowns at herself for frowning at that. Luckily, Lena isn’t in a position to see her face. “And Lex probably knows, if I know him,” she adds, not sounding entirely happy about that, though there’s a definite fondness in her voice underneath that.

“Well,” Kara says, whispers really, since it feels wrong somehow to raise her voice much higher, and her throat suddenly feels a little thick, “I’m glad you felt like you could tell me. And that you wanted to.”

Lena pulls away and Kara feels a sharp, momentary bite of fear before Lena simply settles into a sitting position where she can see Kara. Her knees just touch the side of Kara’s thigh, and Kara allows herself to wonder for a moment if maybe Lena didn’t want to stop touching her either. She shakes her head internally in an attempt to dispel the thought, but she’s never been good at dashing hope, whether her own or that of others.

There’s a smile on Lena’s lips, and she looks significantly less like she’s about to cry, though there are a few tear streaks on her cheeks that Kara feels the urge to brush her thumb across and wipe away. “Well you didn’t seem like you’d be very upset, what with how you came over here shouting about your sister being gay.”

“ _Excuse you_ , I was not _shouting_ ,” Kara pouts, and Lena giggles _(giggles!)_ , a hand coming up to hide the lower half of her face. Kara feels a smile tugging at her lips without her permission. “And of course I would never be upset about that. Anyone who would be isn’t someone you should be spending time with.” And then, before she can think better of it, she finds herself adding, “And I’m bisexual, by the way. Figure if you’re gonna tell me, I should tell you too, make it even and everything.” There’s a strange look on Lena’s face for a moment, though Kara’s not sure what it means exactly, and then she thinks of something.

“ _Bi_ the way!” she exclaims, and then she starts laughing, and then Lena’s laughing with her, until they’re both laughing so hard that they find their heads falling to one another’s shoulders, and Kara feels more tears splashing onto her shirt, but they’re happy ones this time, and she thinks that swell of hope she felt earlier definitely isn’t going away.

They end up missing dinner, M’gann and Fiona coming to find and admonish them afterwards. But neither actually seems all that upset, and there’s a look in M’gann’s eye that makes Kara think she’s actually proud _(however unreasonable that may be)_. They’re both assigned dining hall duties for the next day, despite both of them having just had them recently, but as far as Kara’s concerned it’s just more time for her to spend with Lena. Definitely worth it _(even if she ends up eating all of her backup snacks when she gets back to her bunk)_.

\----------

They’re in the gazebo one afternoon, Lena stretched out along one of the benches, one foot kicked up in the air behind her as she pores over her latest textbook _(she’d finished the last one a few days earlier. now she’s on to physics. kara is both intimidated and endeared)_ , occasionally making a note in the margins. Kara is sprawled across the floor in the center, ostensibly writing, but really just staring up at the ceiling and thinking and, once in a while, attempting to balance her pencil on her nose _(she’s gotten up to eight seconds so far. she’s committed to reaching a minute by the end of the summer)_.

“Why are you here?” she asks, voice startling in the midst of the amicable silence they’ve been lying in. She belatedly turns her head to the side, towards Lena, the wood of the floor scraping softly against her cheek. There’s a screw up near her eyebrow – a spot of cold in the heat they’ve taken to the shade in a failed attempt to escape _(kara’s still sweating through her t-shirt. lena, of course, looks perfect as usual, though kara thinks even she was getting a bit dazed from the heat on their walk over here)_.

Lena looks up from her book, eyebrow arched and green eyes filled with amusement. She brings her pencil to tap at her lips, a habit she’s told Kara she’s trying to break, though Kara doesn’t personally think it’s one she needs to. Kara also doesn’t think she should tell her that.

Lena still hasn’t said anything, and Kara realizes her question could potentially be taken the wrong way, even if they’ve been getting close enough that she hopes it wouldn’t be, and she jumps to course correct. “Not that I’m not glad you’re here! Just, you’re always reading from those textbooks, and, well, you don’t really seem to have a lot of friends, and wow, okay, I’m gonna stop talking now!” She claps a hand over her mouth, cheeks burning, but Lena only laughs.

“It’s okay, Kara, I know it’s a bit strange. I’ve been here seven years now and you’re pretty much the second friend I’ve made. I’m sure a lot of people wouldn’t have come back.” Kara, only slightly less embarrassed, lets her hand fall from her mouth. “But I like it here. I certainly prefer it to spending time at home. And Mother prefers it that way as well. Boarding school during the year and summer camp during the summer means I’m out of the house as much as I can be, really. As long as I keep up with my studies, this is the ideal, for both of us.”

Kara frowns, at that. “How could your mom not want you to be home all year?”

Lena’s face tightens; she’s still smiling, perhaps even wider than she normally does, but it’s clearly strained. “Mother and I have never really gotten along,” she says, and it’s a clear end to the topic. “Besides,” she adds, smile softening into something a little more real. “I’m glad that I’m able to be here. I would probably never have met you otherwise.”

Kara feels a matching smile form on her face, and she gets up to tug Lena into a hug, warmth spiking in her heart at the way she’s momentarily frozen in surprise before it feels like she just _melts_ into Kara. She resolves not to bring up Lena’s family again _(and to hug her more)_.

\----------

One day all of the last-years are told to gather in the gym above the dining hall an hour before free time. Which is not strange in and of itself – they do activities all together fairly often _(there aren’t that many of them, after all)_. The strange part is that none of the counselors will tell them what they’re going to be doing. Usually they know ahead of time nearly everything they’ll be doing for the day, but the counselors are staunchly refusing to say a word about this _(which of course only makes everyone suspicious)_.

Kara has a theory, one she’s sure many others share, and it’s proven correct soon after they arrive.

Her bunk gets there first, having been the closest with an activity just downstairs, and she talks to Kelly while they wait for everyone else to arrive. Kara keeps one eye on the door for Lena’s arrival specifically, not noticing the looks her bunkmates are shooting one another.

The other two bunks arrive not too much later, Kara blushing as Gayle coughs _‘whipped’_ under her breath as her face brightens and she waves excitedly when Lena walks into the room _(her embarrassment fades when lena waves back somewhat more sedately and smiles back just as brightly even through a nudge from sam that knocks her halfway off her feet. the color in her cheeks, however, doesn’t fade)_.

“So,” Fiona says, clapping her hands together once where she stands with the rest of the counselors in a line in front of the stage, “color war!” She pauses for a few moments to allow for cheers. “It’s time for you guys to start planning, so today you’re going to choose the theme and the captains, so everything else can get going. So, first off, theme suggestions? There’ll be three teams this year, in case that has any effect on your ideas.” Kara hears a few groans at that last part – often there are four teams, which gives everyone a better chance at being a captain. Besides, some people have probably been planning their ideas around having four different teams.

And then the shouting begins.

“Superheroes!”

“Mario!”

“Fruit!” _(there’s a semi-incredulous echo of ‘fruit?’ from somewhere across the room. kara would say that was fair, but there have definitely been similar themes before. fruit would not be unprecedented)_

“Pokemon!”

“Star Wars!” _(that one comes from winn, unsurprisingly, though kara can’t help but notice that lena seems pretty enthused by the idea as well)_

“Outer space!” she shouts.

“Star Wars is outer space but better,” Winn rallies back, and Fiona takes that as her cue to get everything back under control. A few more suggestions are wrung out of the campers, but ultimately, the vote comes down to Superheroes vs Star Wars, with Star Wars winning by a small margin _(leading winn to take a victory lap around the room, screaming the whole time. ‘it’s a victory cry,’ he says, but kara thinks it sounds much more painful than a victory cry should)_.

Next up, it’s time to choose captains. And that’s when the trouble starts.

Kara, like many others, has wanted to be a color war captain for years - to lead her team, keep everyone excited throughout the long day, teach the younger kids how fun it can be.

Lena, on the other hand, well, there’s very little question that Lena has never had the same wish.

Which is perhaps why when Fiona asks for nominations, Veronica, Andrea, and Mercy all rise as one, primly raising their hands into the air. Kara doesn’t think the smug-looking expressions portend anything good, and she’s proven correct when Fiona _(reluctantly, it seems to her)_ acknowledges Andrea, and she confidently steps forward and says, “Lena Luthor.” She steps back and sits down, looking very proud of herself, and Kara’s eyes widen, darting to Lena, who has gone slightly pale, though there’s no other sign of what she must be thinking.

“Lena?” Lucy says, “do you accept the nomination?”

Lena’s eyes meet Kara’s for a moment before she nods decisively. “Yes, I accept.”

There are loud titters of excitement and shock from the group that nominated her and Kara scowls over at them, before shooting Lena a look of concern. Her face is blank as she looks aimlessly around the room. Kara frowns.

After that it goes fairly smoothly, despite the inevitable votes Lena receives that result in her getting a spot as captain. Kara is very excited to get voted into a spot as well, on the Blue team alongside Winn. Lena is joined on the Red team by Brainy _(a pairing kara is actually very excited to see in action) (though only if lena is okay with all of this. obviously)_ , and the final team is filled out with Veronica _(ugh)_ and Jack _(who looks like he’s thinking the same thing as kara)_ , before they’re released to go, with promises from the captains to meet soon and start prepping.

“You didn’t have to do that, you know,” Kara says, as she and Lena walk across the field towards the gazebo, having escaped the stuffy gym, close enough that their arms brush every couple of steps. “They were just being…jerkfaces.”

“I’m well aware that they were just doing it to be assholes, Kara.” There’s a smile in Lena’s voice when she responds, and Kara ducks her head for a moment, cheeks warm _(warmer than the hot day accounts for)_. “I figured actually accepting would make them much less proud of themselves. Can’t be predictable all the time, right?” She quirks an eyebrow.

_You’re never predictable,_ Kara thinks.

“Besides, I think it could be fun. _Especially_ when my team beats yours.”

Kara is about to retort that there is _no way_ that’s going to happen, when suddenly she’s pressed against Lena by the appearance of someone else on her other side – by the appearance of Nia, to be exact. She’s wrapped her arm tight around Kara and Eve has done the same to Lena on her other side. They’ve both got huge grins on their faces _(it would maybe be threatening coming from anyone other than nia and eve) (though kara had actually seen them do some very suspicious things over time, so maybe it is threatening, actually)_.

“Sooo,” Nia says, “what’s up, you guys? Anything cool happen today? Any interesting news?” She may as well just say _‘wink wink nudge nudge.’_ Kara contains the urge to roll her eyes. Lena, beside her, does not.

“Not much,” Lena says. “Unless you count Veronica’s gossip of the day. Supposedly someone caught Mike and Imra together.”

“Are you sure?” Eve asks.

“Well, Veronica’s not exactly known for being the most truthful person ever, and I’m pretty sure Imra is dating- ”

“No, no, no,” Nia says. “Are you sure there’s nothing else? We heard something that sounded pretty interesting when we were catching up to you guys. Something about teams?”

Her voice sounds perfectly innocent but she’s not fooling either of them. “Nothing to concern yourselves with,” Lena says, just as Kara blurts out “Hockey!”

All three other girls turn to look quizzically at Kara. “Yeah, _okay_ ,” Nia says.

Lena leans in close, lips brushing against Kara’s neck just below her ear. Kara shivers, emphatically ignoring Nia’s snort and Eve’s giggle, along with the way Lena’s lips curve upwards against her neck. “Hockey isn’t really a summer sport, darling,” she breathes.

Kara blinks rapidly, trying to reboot her brain _(it doesn’t really work until lena leans away)_. “Field hockey,” Kara corrects, “I meant field hockey. Obviously. It’s a big thing in Midvale, and Eliza has been sending us updates.”

Nia and Eve still look extremely skeptical, but evidently they decide that they’re not going to get anything else out of them today, running off with shouts of “See you later!” over their shoulders _(no doubt in search of other last-years to question. kara prays to rao that they don’t find winn)_.

There are a few moments of silence between the two of them, before Lena’s “Well, I think that went _well_.” Kara just groans _(but the sound of lena’s laughter does make her feel significantly better)_.

\----------

“Okay, everyone is going to go back to their bunks and get something they can use as a blindfold, alright? We’ve got a group activity tonight.”

The other campers have already left for their own post-dinner activities, leaving just the last-years, and Kara exchanges glances with her bunkmates, intrigued. She also finds herself looking over towards Lena _(she finds herself doing that a lot)_ , and jumps, startled, when Sam comes up behind her and whisper-shouts, “Wondering how Lena feels about blindfolds?” She feels her entire body heat up when she processes the implication, and she’s not sure it’s solely due to embarrassment.

The heat doesn’t fade until she reaches the bunk and grabs a bandana to use as a blindfold – at that point excitement takes over.

They’re instructed to put their blindfolds on and then spin around ten times so they’re disoriented enough that they won’t know where they’re going, and then they’re placed in a line, hands on one another’s shoulders, and led on a winding journey around the camp for several minutes _(kara soon finds that it’s very difficult to keep track of time like that)_.

When they’re finally brought to a halt, Kara hears as they’re each moved around one by one, and allows herself to be tugged off to one side by the hand around her wrists. There are a few more moments of shuffling noises, as everyone else is presumably led to their places, before the quiet instruction to take their blindfolds off comes from somewhere close in front of her. She tugs her bandanna down around her neck and looks around in excitement.

They’re gathered near the music building, on one side of the semi-inexplicably never-finished bunks that lie across from it _(kara hears they were used as fancy tents for several years, but she’s not entirely sure what that means. tents with floors? anyway, they’re no longer in use)_ , and Fiona stands before them with a stack of plastic cups in her hand, an intent and conspiratorial look on her face, Manchester a few yards behind her tending to a bonfire in a place that Kara has never known to be a spot for a fire before. She tenses momentarily, before urging herself to calm down - it’s just a fire, they’re here to have a fun time, and there’s nothing to worry about _(particularly judging by the huge container of water sitting nearby)_. A hand slips onto her arm, squeezing gently, and Kara realizes for the first time that Lena is standing right beside her. She smiles at her, but she can feel it’s a little forced, and resolves to brighten up - she doesn’t want Lena to be concerned.

Luckily, it does seem like the activity will be a lot of fun, so long as Kara can allow it to be. “You will be playing Capture the Fire,” Fiona whispers dramatically. Brainy seems primed to cut in with a question, but she continues before he can. “You each will get one of these cups, which you can fill with water from there,” she points at the giant bucket behind her, “as many times as you need to. Your goal will be to put out the other team’s fire. Regular capture the flag rules apply - I trust you know what those are.”

“And be safe!” Manchester adds from where he’s standing by the fire. “We don’t want to have to carry anyone to the nurse.” Fiona gives him a look and he amends his statement. “We don’t want anyone to get hurt. And _I_ don’t want to carry anyone to the nurse.” Fiona rolls her eyes but accepts that, and everyone rushes forward to grab a cup from her and fill it with water.

Lena tugs her off to the side once they each have theirs, but Kara is distracted, eyes still locked on the fire. “Hey,” Lena says, tilting Kara’s head towards her, palm on her cheek, and leaning down to look her in the eyes from below. “Are you okay?” she asks tentatively, concern in the shifting colors of her eyes that Kara can just make out in the almost-dark.

Kara leans into her palm, closing her eyes for a moment. “Hey,” she says back. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.”

There’s a small frown on Lena’s face that Kara wants to push up into a smile, or at least make go away. “Are you sure? Is it..the fire?”

Kara sucks in a deep breath, and surely Lena notices, but she’s not prepared to talk about this right now. “I’m sure,” she says. “I’ll be fine. This sounds fun.” Lena still looks concerned, but she accepts Kara’s deflection for what it is, and leans up to whisper an idea in Kara’s ear.

And Kara is fine. Turns out, she’s actually pretty great - at capture the fire, at least. Lena had suggested she slip subtly to the other side and pretend to be part of the other team, and it works surprisingly well. It’s dark out, most of the light coming from the two fires, and she’s wearing a dark sweatshirt that helps her blend in as well. She’s also pretty sure no one on either side really knows exactly who is on their team, which works out well in her favor.

She completes two rescue missions this way, jogging back in victory with her previously captured teammates, and also gets a few good splashes in to the fire, though it still looks to be burning quite strongly _(something that doesn’t concern her. not at all. this is just a game, after all)_.

But then, on one of her visits back to Lena between runs, where she’s been guarding the way in from behind the music building _(‘I know i’ve been doing more sports recently kara, but that doesn’t mean i want to sprint into an attack zone several times in a row’)_ , Lena isn’t there.

That is, she doesn’t _seem_ to be, until Kara spots her peeking out through the curtain that serves as the door to the back of the building _(kara’s pretty sure there was a real door at some point. maybe. it’s a very old building)_. She gestures for Kara to come closer, and Kara does, a little confused. “Hey, everything okay?” Kara can hardly see, around the back of the building like this in the dark, but she’s _sure_ she can see a blush on Lena’s cheeks, though she’s not sure _how_.

“Yeah,” Lena responds slowly. “No? I mean, yes, I’m fine, but just kind of..wet?”

Kara’s having a little trouble processing those words, but Lena helps her by pulling her inside the building and flicking a light switch somewhere _(how she knew there was a light switch behind one of the cabinets in a part of the building campers aren’t generally allowed in is beyond kara)_. She’s dripping wet, her t-shirt practically see-through, and soaked to her skin. Kara blinks rapidly, cheeks heating. She feels the urge to cough as a distraction but thankfully tells herself not to listen to it before she embarrasses herself even more. “ _Oh_ ,” she chokes out. “You’re..really wet.”

“Max Lord dumped his whole cup down my shirt, that asshole,” Lena says, rolling her eyes. “Didn’t even try to run past, just stood there like an idiot.” Kara clenches her fists and makes an effort not to allow her reaction to _that_ show on her face _(she doesn’t think it works, judging by the confusing look lena gives her)_. “I was hoping I could borrow your sweatshirt?” Lena says hopefully. “I mean, if you have a shirt on under it, of course.”

Kara laughs nervously as Lena’s cheeks darken. “Yeah, I, uh, of course I do. Of course you can.” She pulls her sweatshirt over her head to see Lena halfway through pulling her own wet shirt off and yelps, spinning around and covering her eyes with one hand, the other holding the sweatshirt out behind her for Lena to take.

There’s a low chuckle as Lena steps back in front of her and draws her hand away from her face. “You’re safe now, darling,” she says, which just makes everything _worse (but also better? she’s so confusinggg)_. “Thank you.” And then she leans up to kiss Kara’s cheek and Kara’s pretty sure she blacks out for a moment.

She blinks back into reality to see Lena’s face very close to her own. She catalogues her features from this exciting new vantage point, her gorgeous eyes that she almost thinks can see right through her, somehow still-pale skin despite the amount of time she’s spent out in the sun recently _(kara wouldn’t believe it if she hadn’t been present for most of it herself)_ , plush pink lips that Kara has had multiple dreams about _(though she would absolutely deny it if asked) (she would absolutely try to deny it if asked)_.

Lena takes a step back, looking down towards her feet, scuffing one along the ground. “You think I can leave these here until we’re done?”

Kara startles out of her contemplation of Lena in her sweatshirt _(and if seeing lena in her clothes makes her chest feel warm, that’s no one’s business but her own)_. “These?” But Lena points behind her and Kara turns to see her shirt and her _bra_ hanging off of a music stand, at which point she chokes on her tongue, looking back at Lena with wide eyes. Lena arches an eyebrow at her after a few moments with no response. “Oh, _those_ ,” she says. “Uh, yeah, I think they’ll be fine there.”

There’s a look in Lena’s eyes that Kara would maybe be wary of if she wasn’t so busy trying to avoid her gaze and keep the red from her cheeks, but it’s gone in a second as Lena leads her back outside to fill her cup back up _(it’s a little mangled at this point from how she was clutching it, but it still holds water)_.

As it turns out, the neon yellow t-shirt she was wearing underneath her sweatshirt is significantly less suited to subtle endeavors. That, or the other side has copped on by now to her strategy. Either way, she is _much_ less successful this time around.

_So_ much less successful, in fact, that she finds herself sprinting through the abandoned building sites that constitute the main field of battle in an effort to evade capture by Kelly, who she’s just discovered is _very_ fast, and _just_ as she’s about to cross the boundary line back onto her own side her foot catches on one of the beams on the ground, her ankle twisting painfully. She lets out a yelp, tilting halfway forward but managing to stay on her feet and perform some sort of hop-skip-jump back into safety.

Kelly looks contrite once her capture is no longer a possibility, but Kara reassures her that she’ll be fine, hobbling back in the direction of Lena whilst attempting to look like she’s walking completely normally _(her general strategy for things like this is to pretend they’re fine until they stop hurting. it has been mostly successful, in her experience. except for that time alex accidentally broke her arm. but that was only one time)_.

Lena welcomes her joining of the defense, though she does look slightly surprised when Kara tells her she plans to stay over there now, but it’s no matter, as the game is soon finished anyway, with their team losing a close-fought battle _(besides, it keeps kara away from fire and near lena. those are her general preferences anyway)_.

They head back to their bunks afterwards, Kara’s arm slung over Lena’s shoulders after she unsubtly pretends to be cold when she has clearly just noticed the way Kara is limping, and with a promise from Lena to return her sweatshirt the next day.

And she does, placing it under Kara’s ankle on the gym floor as they sit beside some color war posters-to-be _(so...paper. and some paint)_ and she insists on checking it over despite Kara’s protests that _it’s fine_ and _what more do you know about ankles than I do (she receives a look for that that quiets her protests a bit) (along with the feel of lena’s fingers skimming around her ankle, testing whether anything hurts) (she decides instead to talk about why she doesn’t like fire, because the death of her parents is a completely logical choice of topic when lena’s hands are on her. obviously) (it does actually make her feel much better)_.

\----------

It’s a few days later when Kara’s walking normally enough that Lena will allow her to participate when they go to sports together _(and at what point lena became the authority on that she’s not really sure)_. She still feels a twinge every once in a while, but beyond that everything mostly seems to be back to normal.

They’re playing around with a soccer ball since Kara is trying to teach Lena the joys of non-fancy-person-sports _(she’s taken something of a liking to tennis, which kara considers mid-level, so they’ve moved on now to soccer and basketball)_ , Kara heading for the post they’ve designated as a goal while Lena darts around her in an attempt to hold her off, when Kara hears the click of a camera behind her. She kicks the ball towards the post and misses spectacularly before turning around with a frown, as Lena jogs off to stop the ball from rolling into the road _(not that the road sees much use other than golf carts and feet, but it’s still good practice)_.

“James!” Kara exclaims, upon spotting the photographer. “Feels like I haven’t seen you in forever!” She jumps on him with a hug, and he wraps one arm around her, the other holding his camera safely high above their heads.

He chuckles, releasing her. “Well I’ve seen you.” A pause. “That sounded less creepy in my head.”

Kara laughs, hard. “Yeah, I’m _sure_.”

He frowns at her, but it’s clearly an act, smile peeking through at the edges. “I just meant with the photos and everything-” He cuts off as she primly shakes her head in disbelief, smile hurting her own cheeks as she expends a lot of effort trying not to laugh. “Oh, alright,” he says, socking her in the shoulder. Her mouth drops open in mock-offense before she breaks into a grin again.

“How’s that going? Being the camp photographer and everything? It must be different from being a camper.” She hears a noise behind her and glances over her shoulder - Lena is back with the soccer ball. She flashes her an inviting grin, feels her eyes crinkle with the force of it, but Lena just looks down at her feet, knocking the ball back and forth between them.

“Yeah, it’s pretty different,” James says, drawing her attention back to him. “I’m glad to be back though. Missed it last year. And I have my own room in the staff house, which is cool. Nice to have some privacy.”

“Yeah, I bet.” Kara hears a loud coughing sound from behind her. “Taken any good photos recently? I mean obviously, all of your photos are good, but any extra good ones?”

James chuckles, ducking his head, hand on the back of his neck, but he knows better than to deny his photos’ worth to her. “Got a couple good ones of you before you noticed me. And some of Lucy, recently.” There’s an endearingly smitten look on his face when he brings up Lucy, and Kara grins. “You wanna see?” He pauses. “The ones of you, I mean.”

She tries, and fails, to wiggle her eyebrows at the unnecessary addition. “Yeah, I’d love to!” She steps closer into his side as he takes his camera strap off his neck, opening up the photos he’s just taken, when she hears a yelp, and her gaze flashes upward. “Lena!”

She darts forward to where Lena has fallen to the ground. There’s a deep frown on her face and she’s clutching her leg. “Oh Rao, are you okay?” She gently replaces Lena’s hands with her own, pressing lightly, and Lena hisses her pain. “Does that hurt? What am I saying, clearly it hurts. I’ll carry you to the nurse.” She scoops one arm beneath Lena’s legs and the other under her back, lifting her up, hoping Lena doesn’t notice her wince as her ankle twinges.

“Wait,” Lena says, looking up into her eyes, but then she doesn’t say anything else for a few moments _(kara doesn’t really mind. she’s happy enough enjoying the weight of lena in her arms)_. “Wait, Kara, you can’t, your ankle is still hurt. I can walk, put me down.” Kara frowns, unable to bring herself to put her down for some reason. “Put me down, please,” Lena repeats, quietly, a soft look in her eyes, and Kara eventually finds the wherewithal to obey, setting her gently on her feet and making sure she has her balance before she slowly releases her grip.

“You okay?” she asks carefully, and Lena nods, lip tugged between her teeth. Kara flashes an apologetic glance and wave at James, who looks amused for some reason she’s unsure of, raising a hand in a wave back as Kara guides Lena in the direction of the nurse, one hand hovering at the small of her back, unsure if she should touch despite the fact that Lena was just engulfed in her arms.

They make it part of the way there, just entering the path through the woods, when Lena stops, pulling away to stand facing her, hands tugging at one another and gaze resolutely on the ground.

Kara pauses with her, confused.

“My leg is fine,” she says.

Kara’s brow scrunches together. “What?”

“My leg is _fine_ , Kara,” she says again. She looks up and to the side, still avoiding looking right at Kara. It seems like she’s hoping that she won’t have to say anything more, but Kara is still confused, and not about to make it that easy for her.

There’s silence for several more moments as Lena stalls for time, before she bursts into speech. “I didn’t want you talking to him!” she rushes out, cheeks flaring bright red even as she says it.

Kara’s brow furrows deeper, in further confusion, and then, in righteous _(she thinks)_ anger. “What do you mean, you didn’t want me talking to him? James is my friend, and even if he wasn’t, you have no right to decide who I can and can’t talk to!” She finds that she’s unconsciously stepped closer to Lena while speaking, close enough that she can see the quiver in her jaw as she struggles with what to say, close enough that she almost thinks she can feel the heat coming off her. She tempers her tone, softening her words. She’s still angry and confused, but she can’t help it - this is _Lena_. “I thought you were hurt, and I never want that. But I don’t understand, why would you do that?”

Lena takes a step back from her, spine straightening. “I-” she starts strong, but it leads nowhere, her eyes dropping back to the ground, away from Kara. “I don’t know,” she finishes in a small voice, and it sounds like half a lie, but not like one she cares to correct, or even knows how to, at the moment.

Kara sighs. “Alright then,” she breathes, taking her own step back, “guess I’ll see you later. You should probably figure that out.” Lena’s eyes flit up to hers then, and there’s a look of sheer fright in them that makes Kara want to take her into her arms and sooth it away, never let go, but she forces herself to turn away, even as each step feels like forcing herself to walk over hot coals.

She hears Lena call her name behind her, almost a whisper, like she didn’t really want Kara to hear, but she doesn’t turn around, glaring at the ground hard enough she’s sure it’ll start smoking, and biting her lip into her mouth to prevent herself from calling back to her.

She decides it’s the perfect time to go for a run, having been neglecting her routine a bit since she started spending more time with Lena, and hoping that it will distract her from what she’s feeling right now _(sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. it depends how big her feelings are. and how fast she goes. though how big her feelings are also affect how fast she goes. it’s complicated)_.

Luckily, she’s already prepared, having just been at sports, so she just sets off. She can’t head over to B-side like she’d like to, as it’s less likely someone would notice over there that she’s still supposed to be in one of her electives, since she’s just left Lena on the path part way there _(the nurse is reasonably located between both sides of camp)_ , but there’s not too long left before free time starts, so she resolves to just stay out of the way of the main areas as much as possible.

And that’s how she finds herself down in the stretch of gravel below the main camp, a place that Kara has never really understood the purpose of _(she’s pretty sure it’s meant for supplies to get in without vehicles driving through the middle of everyone, but she likes that she doesn’t really have to think about that while she’s here so she chooses not to find out for sure)_. She sprints back and forth, pushing to feel an ache in her legs, closing her eyes on the slower stretches to access that strange feeling she’s only found while running with her eyes closed. She’d once been divebombed by a family of birds while running over here - she usually avoids it for that reason, but she kind of wishes that would happen right now. Might be a nice distraction.

She pulls herself out of _that_ after a while, pausing and shaking out her whole body, and resolving to stop wallowing over something that will probably end up being fine.

She mostly succeeds, starting back into a jog over towards the main bunk area, hoping electives are over by now.

She’s almost back to her bunk, feeling very ready for a shower, when she hears a shout of her name. She looks around, turning one way and then the other, then back again before she spots several hands waving excitedly in her direction.

She expends one final burst of energy to extend her run over to the side of the field, where Winn, Nia, Eve, and several other people are gathered, relaxing in the shade. They were clearly playing Cards Against Humanity at one point, a box open and cards spread on the ground around them, but they don’t appear to be doing so at the moment, so Kara takes the opportunity to flop down on the ground in the middle of the group, knowing and ignoring the fact that it will probably not be the most pleasant experience when she has to get up again.

Several people break into their own conversations around her as Nia flops down beside her, jostling her slightly, and Kara turns her head towards her on the ground, doubtless filling her hair with grass and dirt _(it’s fine, she’s taking a shower soon anyway)_.

Nia does the same, grinning at her. “Hey, what’s up? Haven’t seen you in a while, with all the time you’ve been spending with _Lena Luthor_.” She sing-songs the last part of it, wiggling her eyebrows, and Kara tries to smile, but it comes out as more of a frown, and Nia clearly notices, frowning herself. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Kara says, but it sounds unconvincing, even to herself. Maybe especially to herself. “I just kind of had an argument with Lena earlier. Well. Not even an argument really, but something like it I guess. My run kinda helped, but I don’t know, I still feel weird about it.”

Nia noisily settles herself more comfortably next to her, as though preparing for a long conversation, and it makes Kara almost feel like smiling for a second. “Well of course you feel weird about it. The two of you have been practically inseparable all summer, and you’re _clearly_ enamored with one another.” Kara sputters at that, but even that is half-hearted, and easily cut off by the hand that Nia places over her mouth. “My gaydar doesn’t lie, Kara,” she says seriously. “So what happened?”

“Well I was talking to James while we were at sports, and then she pretended to get hurt so I would take her to the nurse, and we got halfway there before she told me she actually just didn’t want me talking with him. But she wouldn’t tell me why. I mean there’s no good reason, but she could at least _try_ to give me one!”

Nia whistles. “That girl is _jea-lous_.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“She probably thought you were interested in James, since for some god-awful reason neither of you can see that you’re clearly only interested in each other.”

Kara chooses to ignore the second half of that sentence. “But James is with Lucy! And anyway, I’m not interested in him, I’m interested in...someone else.”

Nia scoffs, rolling her eyes. “Well yeah, _we_ know that,” she says _(‘we’ evidently referring to everyone in camp except for lena)_. “But she clearly doesn’t. Obviously that doesn’t make what she did right, but I think you should probably talk to her about it. You’ll both be happier.”

Kara hums in thought. “Probably,” she admits. “Doesn’t sound like a super fun conversation though.”

“Not all conversations are fun,” Nia says sagely. “Now go shower! Don’t want to be gross for your first kiss!”

“Nia!” Kara exclaims, only half pretending to be scandalized, but she’s already getting to her feet, groaning at the ache in her legs.

She jogs back over to her bunk, hoping it will alleviate some of it, though it’s not really far enough for that to work, and showers quickly _(she finds several pieces of grass in her hair, as expected. she’s fairly sure someone was picking grass before she lay down. unsurprising. it’s a common pastime here)_ , before tugging on a new t-shirt and shorts and heading back over towards the group, walking this time.

She stops halfway across the field, though she’s unaware that she’s even done so for a few seconds, just staring across at where Lena is staring right back at her. She glances over at where she just recently was to see Nia _(along with winn and brainy, both of whom she’s apparently gotten to join her)_ very unsubtly waving her in Lena’s direction. She looks back to Lena, who seems unlikely to move in the next century, and resolves herself. _Okay. I can do this._

“I’m sorry,” is the first thing Lena says, as soon as Kara is within hearing distance.

Kara stops a few feet in front of her and simply waits for her to continue _(she would raise an eyebrow but that’s kind of lena’s thing. and she’s not really sure she can)_.

“I shouldn’t have done that,” she adds.

“No,” Kara says, “you shouldn’t have, but we’ve established that. Have you figured out why you did?”

Lena bites her lip, looks down at the ground - she looks just like she did earlier. But this time, she has an answer. “I was jealous,” she says quietly, so quietly Kara almost has to strain to hear it.

Kara blinks, sure she must’ve heard her wrong. _Jealous? Nia was right?_

Her disbelief must show on her face. “Oh Kara,” Lena says, voice mock-deep, cheeks a deep red, “I have my own room this year, isn’t that great? You should come see it some time, I’m sure you’ll love the privacy when we-”

Kara cuts Lena off, affronted, a hand across her mouth _(though she removes it as soon as her brain catches up to the fact that she’s touching lena’s mouth. it’s done its job by then anyway - lena is miraculously silent)_. “Lena!”

Lena shrugs, the motion guilty, as is the way her gaze darts around rapidly, never remaining in one place for more than a second. “I heard what I heard, Kara. I’m sorry.”

Kara crosses her arms. “Well, for your information, James is very happy with Lucy.” Lena’s brow furrows at the piece of information she was clearly unaware of. “And anyway,” Kara continues, “even if he wasn’t, I’m not interested in him.” It feels like a little too much to add that she’s interested in someone else this time, but it seems Lena doesn’t need her to.

“No?” she asks.

“No,” Kara responds, and it feels like they’re having two conversations at once. A soft, self-conscious smile draws across Lena’s face, and Kara feels a matching, if weaker, one draw across her own.

“I really am sorry,” Lena says, laying a hand on her arm. She seems to think better of it a moment later, making to move it away again, but Kara lays her own hand lightly on top of it, holding it in place, though of course leaving enough room for her to pull away if she really wants to. She doesn’t. “It was very rude and uncalled for, and I shouldn’t have done it. But I hope you can forgive me.” Her voice lilts upwards at the end, and she looks up at Kara from under her lashes, and, to tell the truth, Kara has already forgiven her, couldn’t help it really.

“Of course,” she says. “Do you want to get a book? We can sit?”

And now _(finally, kara thinks, she’s missed it)_ Lena smiles a full smile, eyes squinty, cheeks dimpling, and her hand travels down Kara’s arm to intertwine their fingers. She tugs Kara over to her bunk _(kara hears a loud whoop come from nia’s direction that she pointedly ignores)_ and inside.

Kara glances around, intrigued _(it’s always a little bit weird to be inside someone else’s bunk, in her experience. very familiar, but with something just off)_. It feels almost wrong to go any further than just inside the doorway, though Kara’s not really sure why, but Lena doesn’t seem inclined to let go of her hand before she has to, and Kara can’t complain about that, so she goes willingly.

Lena has a bottom bunk, unsurprisingly, in the back corner of the room, one side against the wall and the other side mostly covered by a blanket-curtain tucked through the sidebars of the top bunk, which she disappears behind for a few moments after reluctantly releasing Kara’s hand.

Kara does her best not to snoop, only taking in the neatness of her shelves _(unsurprising)_ and the fact that Lena clearly keeps all her books within her bed/cave with her _(adorable, if slightly concerning)_ before Lena’s popping back out with a book in her hand _(and confirmation that she does, in fact, keep all of her books in there)_ and quickly latching onto her hand with the other once again.

She practically skips them over to the gazebo, Kara only noticing once they get there that the book she is holding is _not,_ in fact, a science textbook. “ _Lena,_ ” she gasps dramatically, “is that a _novel_ you’re holding?”

Lena giggles _(giggles!)_. “I’ll have you know I can read things for fun sometimes. Not that science isn’t fun, of course. This just seemed better for today.” She pauses, then adds, hesitantly, “Would you like me to read you some of it?”

Kara’s eyes widen. “Yeah, yeah I would.”

They spend the rest of the free period with Kara on the floor in front of Lena, slouched back against her legs while she sits on the bench, one hand scratching through Kara’s hair and the other holding up her book as she reads.

It feels a little bit like whiplash from where Kara was less than two hours ago, or it would if she could feel anything other than how nice it is to just sit and let Lena’s voice wash over her. She smiles, eyes closed, content - her day has certainly improved.

\----------

Lena admitting to being jealous is an acknowledgement of something. Kara knows that. She’s sure that Lena knows that. But that doesn’t mean she knows what to do about it.

They wake on the day they’re supposed to go rafting and camping to a sky full of dark clouds that soon burst into thunder and rain. There’s nothing else planned for the day, so after breakfast they’re all released into the gym upstairs to make the most of their time until the counselors come up with something a little more constructive for everyone to do.

Everyone gathers into groups, as teenagers given free rein are wont to do. Veronica holds court in one corner, where she and her cronies have gathered all of the folding stairs so they don’t have to sit on the floor, because they can’t seem to think of anything worse than that.

The rest of the color war captains take the opportunity to get a bit of planning done, Kara and Lena included, but it doesn’t take overly long - all they really have to decide on mutually is breakout - they need to make a big entrance, half of the captains letting B-side know and the other half heading over to A-side at the same time so that there’s no opportunity for the news to somehow spread before they get there _(one year the color war captains had decided to tell a-side before b-side. the screaming had been so loud b-side had known what was going on long before any of them got back to tell them)_.

Once they’re decided _(and have left jack with the fun job of informing his fellow green team captain exactly what they’ve decided on without her)_ , Kara and Lena break away to spend some time working on more materials _(and talking. mostly talking)_. They’re spread out all around the room, so it’s not difficult to find something to work on _(though gayle and imra do come over to very unsubtly make sure they’re not going to mess anything up)_.

Kara is part way through painting a slogan onto some blue paper _(‘hoth is no sloth, we’ll knock your socks off!’) (yes she did come up with it herself thank you very much)_ and Lena is concentrating _very_ hard on painting a glorified circle _(‘it’s very rude to call a planet a glorified circle, kara. that’s someone’s home’)_ onto her own red sheet of paper when Sam appears, grinning over them upside down _(well she looks upside down to kara, anyway)_.

“How’s it going, lovebirds? Ready to fight against each other? I feel like this is going to do wonders for your relationship, actually. You’re looking pretty cozy right now, after all.”

“Oh, fuck off, Sam,” Lena says, but she’s smiling, her cheeks a gentle pink. Kara wishes she could paint her instead of the slogan _(even if she’s very proud of her slogan)_.

Sam winks, tipping an imaginary hat at each of them in turn before she skips back off to go bother someone else. Kara grins nervously at Lena. “She’s fun.”

Lena laughs, sounding half-exasperated and half-endeared. “Yeah, she is,” she sighs.

They fall into comfortable silence after that, moving casually through one another’s space in a way that makes Kara’s chest feel like it might burst with warmth. Once, Kara accidentally smudges some paint across Lena’s wrist, which leads Lena to _‘accidentally’_ smear some paint onto Kara’s neck, which leads to an impromptu mini paint war, but other than that, they’re pretty calm.

However, the paint war _does_ lead them to go out on the porch to try to wash some of the paint off, which _does_ lead to them both being soaking wet _(it was perhaps not the greatest plan they’d ever had)_ , which _does_ lead to M’gann taking pity on them halfway through the movie that the counselors had scrounged up somewhere and set to play on the _very_ old TV they’d pulled out of a closet somewhere _(the movie is on a vcr tape. kara didn’t even know those still existed)_ , and allowing them to head back to the bunks to change into dryer clothes.

Which also means that they can’t really come back in their new dryer clothes, if they don’t want to just get them all wet again _(it sounds like an excuse, but the rain really is that bad)_. M’gann gives them a serious look before they go. “ _No_ funny business. I will be coming to find you two as soon as the rain stops, and there is nothing I want less than to walk in on something, capisce?” Kara blushes to the tips of her ears and the roots of her hair, but somehow Lena _(lena, who kara has seen blush for no reason at all)_ manages not to, simply nodding back, a completely innocent look on her face _(at least until they turn to go and lena winks at her. well, tries to wink at her. kara is surprised to find a few seconds later that she hasn’t spontaneously combusted)_.

They dash through the rain hand in hand, heedless of the fact that it makes them both at least twice as likely to fall down into the mud. Kara’s hair is plastered to her face from nearly the moment they step outside, and she’s glad she tucked her glasses into her pocket beforehand, aware they wouldn’t be of any help - she wouldn’t be able to see either way.

Somehow they make it back - evidently at least one of them has _some_ kind of sense of direction _(kara’s betting on lena)_ , and they stumble onto the porch of Bunk 15 with their arms wrapped around one another, both bursting into laughter once they’re out of the rain and can get enough breath for it.

Kara doesn’t think she’s laughed this hard in a long time, but if someone asked why she was laughing, she has no idea what she’d say. She wipes a tear away from her eye _(along with a good deal of rainwater)_ , and it’s only then that she realizes how close she and Lena are standing.

Lena’s stopped laughing too, though it’s still evident in the upturn of her lips, which Kara finds herself stuck on, suddenly, can’t look away from them, even feels herself moving closer, inexorably…

_BOOM!_

Thunder bursts loudly from the sky, a harsh wave of rain blowing into them where they’re standing on the porch, and Lena jumps into Kara’s arms. Just straight on up, Kara, unprepared, fumbling to catch her.

She does, catch her, that is, somehow managing to loop one arm under her legs and the other under her back, but it’s a close call, and she decides that’s her cue to get them both inside. Lena opens the door when Kara walks them over to it, since both of Kara’s hands are kind of busy, and Kara slips them through sideways, careful to hit neither Lena’s head nor her feet on the doorframe.

It’s only once they’re inside, door slamming closed behind them, that Kara realizes exactly how wet they both are. She knew, logically, but she didn’t _know_. There’s a puddle slowly growing on the floor around her feet, both of them steadily dripping. Kara can feel every contour of Lena’s body where she’s pressed close against her own. She hastily sets her on the floor, just out of range of the puddle _(for what little good that’s likely to do)_. “I’d better get us some clothes.”

She takes two steps further into the room, shoes squelching loudly and water running rapidly down her arms, before she realizes maybe it would be best _not_ to make the bunk look like the storm had ignored the laws of science and just gone straight through the roof. _“Oh Rao,”_ she mumbles under her breath, before tugging her t-shirt over her head and letting it plop to the floor where she stands. She hears a high-pitched squeak behind her and feels a spray of water droplets hit her back as Lena presumably twirls hastily around, and feels an involuntary smile come across her face. She toes off her shoes and tugs her socks off as well, deciding that’s going to have to be enough for now. She wrings out her hair for good measure - it can’t make things that much worse.

She hastily makes her way over to her shelves then, though she’s still careful with her bare feet on the wooden floor _(she’d once gotten a splinter through her sock from running in one of the bunks. it was not a fun experience)_. She rummages through her clothes, looking for something Lena won’t wrinkle her nose at _(and yes, she knows lena won’t wrinkle her nose at any of her clothes, and even if she would have normally she’s probably willing to take anything over the wet stuff she’s wearing now, but she still thinks lena deserves the best she has. she always looks so nice. and she’s lena)_.

She finally _(well, it feels like finally. it’s really only been a few seconds)_ rules out trying to find something that Lena would wear normally, instead pulling out one of her softest t-shirts and a pair of sweat-shorts, along with some clothes for herself, which she quickly changes into, trusting that Lena’s back is still turned and that there are several bunks between them _(after several years at camp, she’s gotten used to people seeing her change - she’s far beyond the point of trying to hide. but for some reason, with lena, it’s different. she’s not sure why) (okay, she maybe has an idea why)_.

Dryly clothed and with flip-flops safely tugged on, she steps back out and over to Lena, who’s still steadfastly facing the door, one hand even covering her eyes. Kara smiles at that, reaching out _(carefully not stepping too close in her newly-dry state, no matter how much she wants to)_ and tugging it away, holding out her offering of clothes in her other hand. Lena smiles gratefully at her, taking them with a soft “Thank you” and a pointed look when Kara forgets to turn around herself.

Kara does turn around then, moving a bit further away, but she can still hear the shuffling sounds Lena is making behind her, sounding impossibly loud despite the volume of the rain pouring down outside. She gulps and focuses on the rattling of the rain on the roof in an attempt to _not_ think about the implications of those noises because she is _not_ going to do that, no way, no how.

It must work, because she startles a few moments later when Lena places a hand on her shoulder, jumping what feels like three feet in the air before she turns around, sheepish. It’s dark in the bunk, the main lights off and the grey sky outside not of much help, but Kara doesn’t feel the need to change that. “Guess we’re stuck in here for a while,” Kara says, whispers almost - it feels like speaking any louder would be wrong, somehow.

“Looks like,” Lena responds, equally quiet, and she reaches to lace the fingers of one of her hands with Kara’s. It makes Kara feel warmer even than getting out of her wet clothes had.

“Well I don’t have a cave like you,” she says, laughing when Lena dramatically frowns at her, “but I do have a bed where we can wait until it’s safe to go out again? And also cuddle, maybe. For warmth. And also just for cuddling.” Lena laughs, cheeks dimpling, and Kara still feels like she could listen to that sound forever.

Kara leads her over to her bed and graciously climbs up first, showing Lena how it’s done _(it’s a skill, really. whoever had designed the beds had made some poor choices) (based on the color of lena’s cheeks when she makes her way up kara is fairly sure she also had a secondary motive in having kara go up first, but she’s not going to think about that too hard lest she literally die)_. They sit awkwardly for a few moments, neither of them really sure what to do, until Kara decides to take it upon herself to put an end to _that (her bed her responsibility…?)_.

She lays back, brushing her still-damp hair over her shoulder and opening her arms invitingly _(and hopefully)_. Lena blushes prettily, though Kara only barely sees it for a second before she carefully crawls up and tucks herself into her side, laying her head on her chest and wrapping an arm across her stomach _(it’s a tradeoff she’s more than willing to accept)_. It doesn’t help Kara think of what to say, unfortunately _(too much else to think about)_ , so she just rubs her hand back and forth across Lena’s back, using her other hand to free the hair that’s been trapped against her chest and run through it. On a whim, she scratches at Lena’s scalp, and Lena sinks even further into her with a soft noise that might even be better than her laugh.

Kara hums, content, eyes dropping closed of their own accord, and revels in the feeling of holding Lena in her arms, letting the calming sound of the rain outside soothe her to sleep. She dreams of Lena.

\----------

Their outdoor day is able to be rescheduled for a few days later, and when they go out in the morning it’s to a promisingly empty sky. Normally it would’ve just been cancelled after being rained out the first time, but evidently enough people were excited about it _(namely, the counselors, who actually have some measure of control over these types of things)_ that they made the effort to reschedule _(which doesn’t mean, of course, that they didn’t all have to bring their sleeping bags to the gym the other night and sleep on the floor, in case the logistics didn’t work out for them to go camping for real. kara was glad for her earlier nap with lena when she wasn’t able to sleep all night)_.

They’re getting on a bus to drive the short distance over to the raft rental place _(one of many near the camp. possibly intended to make up for the lack of literally anything else in the surrounding area)_ , with the goal of making their way back to camp by raft, which will somehow take about ten times as long as the drive _(okay, it’s not that weird. but it’s like. at least a little weird)_. Kara makes sure to grab a seat with Lena on the bus, ignoring the increasingly loud titters that she has _also_ been ignoring for the past few days _(and for the whole summer, really. they’ve just recently become extra loud)_ any time she’s around Lena.

She lets Lena have the window seat, something Lena seems to appreciate when she looks silently and contemplatively out at the road passing by for the first several minutes of the journey, even as everyone else practically screams around her. Kara engages herself in conversation with Kelly and Vasquez a few rows back, leaning into the aisle and giving Lena her space, but when a jolt nearly sends her rolling down to the front end of the bus, she sheepishly shifts back further into the seat, promising to talk to them later _(not a difficult feat when they’re all in the same bunk. it would be a bit weird if they didn’t talk to each other later)_.

“Hey,” she says, knocking her shoulder lightly into Lena’s. “You okay?”

Lena hums, turning away from the no doubt _fascinating_ view of nothing she’s been watching with her lower lip tugged between her teeth.

Kara waits a few moments, but no further answer seems to be forthcoming. “That’s not really an answer,” she nudges, trying to make it sound as little like an accusation as possible.

Lena’s eyes meet hers then, but it doesn’t _really_ feel like she sees her. “I’m fine,” she says, softly but firmly, and it’s a clear request to drop it.

Kara drops it.

Lena leans back against Kara then, tucking her head into the space between her neck and her shoulder, and Kara tries to relax, even though now she’s a little worried and it’s making her tense up. She wraps her arm around Lena, letting her move in closer, and rests her cheek against the top of her head, closing her eyes and resolving to leave it alone until they arrive and hope that Lena is _actually_ fine by then _(or at least is willing to talk about it)_.

It’s not much longer before they get there, and they’re immediately bombarded by workers with life jackets and the order to get into groups of four to six people. Lena’s hand snakes its way into Kara’s before she can even look over her shoulder to see where she is, and she squeezes it tightly. Kara squeezes back in reassurance, flashing her a smile that Lena nervously reciprocates.

Lena increasingly appears visibly apprehensive as they sit in their groups listening to the safety lecture given by one of the raft rental employees, even Imra, sitting on the other side of her, shooting her concerned looks. Kara can hardly feel her hand for how tightly Lena is squeezing it by the end, but every time she tries to ask what’s wrong, Lena just says she’s _fine (it gets to the point where kara merely has to look at her for her to blurt it out. kara thinks that’s very much not how someone who is fine would act)_.

She doesn’t know what to _do_. Lena won’t tell her what’s wrong, even though something clearly is, and Kara doesn’t want to bring in someone else when Lena obviously doesn’t want to talk about it. But they’re about to get in the rafts, and she _also_ doesn’t want Lena to get hurt because she’s distracted, or panic, or even just have a bad time at all. Obviously she’ll do her best to make sure _none_ of those things happen, but it would be a lot easier if she actually _knew_ what was wrong.

She pulls Lena aside as they head en masse over towards the river, before they choose a raft, holding up a finger to signal to the rest of their group that they need a minute. Julia smiles encouragingly and leads the other three away, and Kara brackets Lena’s shoulders with her hands, though she shifts one to tilt Lena’s chin up when she won’t look at her. “ _Hey,_ ” she says, “I know something is wrong, and I get that you don’t want to talk about it, but can you promise me you’ll try to enjoy yourself at least a little today? I’m gonna take care of you, nothing bad is gonna happen, okay?”

Lena’s eyes widen, glassy, and she nods, turning her head away to swipe at a few tears that escape despite her best efforts. “Okay,” she says, “sorry, yeah, okay.”

She turns back to face Kara, eyes wet, cheeks red, and Kara can’t help herself but to lean in and place a gentle kiss on her forehead. She hears Lena suck in a breath and pulls back, slightly flushed. “Nothing to be sorry for. You ready to head over there?” She tilts her head in the direction of the rest of the campers, some already in the water and the rest in various stages of getting there.

Lena entwines their hands again. _“Yeah,”_ she breathes out, and it’s not exactly a ringing endorsement, but it’s the best she’s going to get right now.

Kara smiles, rubbing her thumb across her knuckles. “Okay.”

They get out on the water easily enough, the process speeding up with the arrival of Kara and Lena _(siobhan grumbles a bit about how long they took but vazquez shoots her a look and she shuts up pretty quickly) (kara is honestly unsure how siobhan ended up in their boat at all, and not with veronica and andrea and the rest of their group)_. It’s not too long before they get the hang of things pretty well either - Lyra volunteers to instruct everyone, since apparently she does crew at her high school and thus _‘knows what she’s doing’_ , and they’re pretty well balanced with three of them on each side, so there aren’t really any problems to work out _(besides siobhan’s half-hearted paddling, of course, but that’s not the end of the world)_.

Lena even seems to be perking up a bit after a few minutes, and though she’s not really participating in the conversation that’s been struck up, Kara does see her smile a few times, which is enough to widen her own smile.

They make it through their first patch of mini-rapids _(mostly)_ calmly, even Siobhan pitching in to make sure they don’t get stuck or turned around on any rocks, and Kara thinks things are really starting to look up. She’s exhilarated, adrenaline pumping in her chest despite the fact that they haven’t yet had any real challenges, and she’s nearly stopped worrying about Lena at all _(well, any more than her base level of daily lena-worry)_.

Of course, that’s when some of the other boats decide to start a war.

It’s instigated by William and Demos, because of course it is. They don’t notice at first, busy as they are with their own conversation, and slightly ahead of the boats in question. But then they hear shouting coming from behind them, followed by a high-pitch yelp, and an offended yell of “Max!”

Lena’s immediately on high-alert, and Kara reaches across to place a calming hand on her knee even as they all look back to see what’s going on, keeping a loose grip on her paddle with the other hand.

Max Lord is standing up in his boat, clearly having just swept a wave of water at the raft containing Veronica, Andrea, Mercy, and, inexplicably, Sam _(she looks like she’d rather be anywhere else)_. As they watch, Mercy pulls hard at her brother’s paddle and he leans over the side of the raft to keep his grip on it. He’s successful, wrenching it away from her, but his effort unbalances the boat and Max wobbles and falls straight over the side into the water, accompanied by raucous laughter. Lena tenses, Kara rubbing at her knee in an attempt to soothe her, and Max pops back up, spluttering, having only been under for a moment.

Confirmation of his being fine starts an all-out battle, as he immediately decides it’s in his best interest to flip over the girls’ raft, with his advantageous position next to it in the water.

Siobhan shows more initiative than the rest of them have ever seen her show, using her paddle to pull them back in the direction of the carnage and her now-shrieking friends. The water where they are is calm enough that she’s able to do so fairly easily, and it doesn’t do much good to work against her, so they let it happen _(kara is pretty sure most of them are just hoping that when they get closer to the other boats, she’ll leave)_.

Wary of the situation they’re getting themselves into, Kara shifts her position, preparing to be knocked out of the raft _(judging by the amount of people in the water, there’s a significant likelihood of that happening, now that they’re heading straight towards them)_. Lena notices, her face blanching _(a feat, truly. kara really hopes she put on like ten pounds of sunscreen this morning, or she’s not gonna have a good time for the next few days)_. “What are you doing?” she asks, voice higher than usual. She looks about halfway to hyperventilating.

“Looks like we’re going in,” Kara says as calmly as possible, “just wanna be prepared.”

_“No,”_ Lena says, “no, I _can’t_.”

Kara darts a glance over to see how close they are to everyone else _(very close)_ before she shifts to kneel down in front of Lena in the center of the raft, trying to adjust her position about five times before giving up on finding anything that doesn’t feel weird. “Hey,” she says, “it’s gonna be okay, look over there,” she points at the others _(about half of the campers by now)_ that have taken a dip, “they’re all fine-”

She’s cut off by a sharp shift in the material beneath her. _Oh Rao_ is all she can think before she’s submerged beneath the water. She pops back up quickly, blinking water out of her eyes and brushing her wet hair out of her face, immediately looking for Lena.

She spots her a few yards away, looking much the same as she imagines she must look herself, if significantly more panicked. Kara bobs rapidly over to her, at which point she realizes that not all of the water on Lena’s face is actually water - she’s crying. “Oh, Lena, are you okay?” Lena launches herself into her arms, sobbing, and wraps her legs around her waist. Kara breathes out slowly, rubbing Lena’s back in a soothing motion that it’s doubtful she can even feel through the life jacket _(at the very least it’s helping to soothe kara a bit)_. “Okay, baby, you’re okay,” she coos, placing a kiss to the side of Lena’s head.

She can _just_ reach the ground while keeping both of their heads above water if she stretches, and she takes advantage of that to give Lena time to calm down without having to move. Eventually, Lena does, sniffling, eyes red-rimmed, locked somewhere beneath Kara’s own. “I’m sorry,” she croaks out, voice ragged.

“Hey,” Kara says sternly, “none of that. You need to stop apologizing for things that don’t deserve your guilt.”

Lena chews that over for a while. “Okay,” she says. She pauses, appearing to think about something for even longer. Then, “My mom drowned when I was four. My birth mom. I was there.”

Kara sucks in a breath, belatedly wishing she could hide it, but unable with how close they are. “I’m sorry,” she says. Nothing more - she knows there’s nothing really that makes that better.

Lena pulls a strained smile to her face. “I don’t really like the water. Have you ever seen me in the pool?”

Kara takes Lena’s poor attempt to change the subject for what it is, obligingly making a show of looking her up and down despite the fact that they’re pressed together and both of their bodies are underwater so there’s really nothing for her to see. She makes an attempt at wiggling her eyebrows. “No, I’m sure I would remember that.”

Lena smiles gratefully at that, and Kara bobs them back towards the raft, boosting Lena in first when they get there and then following with the help of Julia and Sam, who has evidently swapped places with Siobhan.

The rest of the trip back to camp is relatively uneventful - Lena is still tense, but less so, and a boat full of counselors has taken up a spot in the middle of everyone else to ensure that no other problems arise.

They’re back before they know it, everyone tripping over themselves to get back to their bunks for the first showers, and it’s not too long before everyone is meeting back up again, backpacks and sleeping bags in hand for the ‘hike’ to the campground _(the ‘hike’ is across the road in front of the camp and up a bit of a hill. kara has never known it to take more than fifteen minutes. it had taken far less than that when they were leaving after a bear spotting one year)_. Kara grabs one of the extra bags they need to carry up, earning herself a nod of approval from Manchester _(and a sneer from max that she ignores. it’s not her fault he’ll be embarrassed if she carries something and he doesn’t)_ and makes her way over to Lena, who looks _adorable_ in her hiking outfit - leggings tucked into long socks and a green t-shirt topped by an open gray zip-up sweatshirt _(yes, lena is always adorable, but this look is really affecting kara for some reason. she looks...so soft)_.

“Aren’t you gonna be hot?”

Lena raises an eyebrow at her, and Kara is gratified to see that her mood seems to have greatly improved following her rafting experience. “ _Some_ of us don’t want to get any ticks.” She looks pointedly at Kara’s bare legs and arms, her shorts and t-shirt doing little to cover them.

Kara looks down at herself, and then back up, shrugging. “I have plenty of bug spray. Plus, I hardly ever get bug bites. I must not taste very good.”

Lena chokes on air, face turning red as she coughs, and Kara reaches a hand towards her, unsure how to help. She thinks she hears Lena mumble something like _‘I doubt it’_ when she finally settles and furrows her brow in confusion, but she can’t ask because Lena is already walking away, following after the others, who Kara hadn’t realized were leaving. She scrambles to catch up to her and the rest of them.

Usually, Kara likes walking up front, but clearly that’s not in Lena’s plans, so she semi-reluctantly slows her step to stay with her. Lena notices, telling her she’s free to go catch up to some of her other friends if she wants to, but she’s a little offended that Lena even suggests that, scoffing. “I want to spend time with you, Lena. You’re not holding me back.” Lena blinks slowly at that, cheeks pinkening and mouth opening like she wants to say something before she decides against it and closes it again.

They’re comfortably silent for most of the walk _(kara will not call it a hike)_ , once in a while stepping a little too close, so that their arms brush, though neither of them mind _(quite the opposite really, at least for kara)_. It’s not long before they make it to the campsite, splitting up to get tents set up by bunk _(kara looks over once she and her bunkmates have finished to see lena’s bunk still struggling. or, more precisely, lena and sam doing it themselves while the rest of their bunk looks on. she supposes that was to be expected) (that doesn’t mean she can’t go offer her help though. she gets two grateful smiles and an eyebrow wiggle from sam in return)._

After tents are set up and they’ve collectively gathered enough wood to keep a fire going for quite a while _(leslie had come back with what kara is fairly sure was a literal tree)_ , they get dinner going, each bunk working on a different part _(kara tosses a wink at lena when she comes to borrow a knife from them, ignoring the laughter of both her own bunkmates and that she can hear from lena’s bunkmates who’d obviously sent her on purpose)_. Soon they’ve gathered around the fire to eat, Kara settling comfortably far away from it _(it’s surprisingly dark when it feels like it was just midday, but she only needs enough light to see where her food is, and it’s not like it’s cold. cool, if anything)_.

Lena joins her, squishing onto the rock she’s chosen to sit on beside her, even though there’s not really enough room for two people. “Hello,” she says, voice lower than usual _(kara’s not sure why, but it makes her blush all the same)_. “Care for some company?” It’s made ridiculous by the fact that Lena has already answered that question for herself, but Kara can’t really bring herself to care.

“You don’t have to sit all the way back here with me,” Kara says, though she’s enjoying the closeness and doesn’t want her to leave. She feels like she has to give her the option - her issues aren’t Lena’s issues. “I’m sure it’s nicer closer to the fire.”

Lena blinks slowly, waiting to catch her eyes with her own. “I want to spend time with you, Kara,” she says, repeating her own words back to her, and it has the same effect as it did on Lena earlier, Kara opening her mouth, ready to say something, but she’s unsure what it is, and she closes it again. _Instead,_ she tosses her empty plate down on the ground and wraps her arms tightly around Lena, cheek squishing into her arm. _If she can’t say what she means, she can show it, right?_ Lena’s immediate response is a gasp, but she quickly relaxes into the contact, humming contentedly, and they both stay like that for a long while, as the conversation around them progresses into a series of stories interspersed with song _(only during kara’s personal favorite, the legend of bunk seventeen, does she deign to move, unable to stop herself from getting into it, but she’s back immediately after, craving lena’s warmth after a few moments separated from it)_.

Time for bed seems like it comes both sooner than is possible and later than it should be _(the excitement of rafting earlier in the day must be catching up with her)_ , and Kara collapses in her tent with her bunkmates, ignoring any and all of their teasing questions about Lena and falling asleep only a few minutes later.

It feels like it’s only been a few minutes _more_ when she wakes up the next morning, letting out a jaw-cracking yawn and carefully making her way outside without stepping on those remaining in the tent in the hopes of getting some rejuvenation from the sun. Sadly, not much sun makes its way down into their clearing, with all of the tree cover blocking it, but the fresh air does her some good.

Evidently it doesn’t do Lena quite as much good - Kara stifles a laugh as she sees Lena emerge from her own tent several yards away, eyes barely half-open and hair a birds’ nest around her head, nearly tripping over a large branch before catching her balance _(she doesn’t actually fall. it’s fine to laugh)_. As though she can feel Kara’s eyes on her, she looks up, blinking, and waves. Kara waves back, feeling much more rejuvenated. _Maybe Lena is the sun._

They quickly clean and pack everything up, sneaking in a quick breakfast at the same time before they head back to camp. It feels...domestic somehow, when Lena comes to sit next to her again. That’s the only way Kara can think to describe it, despite the fact that they’re sitting in the dirt and eating cereal out of single-serving containers with plastic forks _(they’d evidently gotten mixed up with the spoons)_. They’re both still about half-asleep _(along with everyone else, which kara is fairly sure is the reason they don’t hear any comments)_ , but it’s nice. Nice to sit together, nice to eat together, nice to just _be_ together. Kara can’t stop smiling.

Soon enough they’re heading back down the trail, loads a bit lightened due to the food that’s been eaten and the trash that’s been taken away by the scouts counselors that had snuck up late last night _(no reason to risk attracting animals when there’s a very simple way not to)_. Lena stumbles once, on the way down, but Kara catches hold of her arm before she can fall, receiving a warm but sleepy smile in thanks.

They’re nearly back to their bunks when Kara impulsively decides to kiss Lena on the cheek before they part ways. She can’t say what makes her do it - it’s inarguably a bad idea, but sometimes once she gets an idea into her head she can’t do anything until she lets it happen. Apparently this is one of those times.

Just as Lena’s about to step away, Kara leans in. She almost misses, and so perhaps overcompensates a little and presses in too hard, but she accomplishes her goal, leaving both of them standing nervously and blushing. And then Kara laughs, because _what else is she supposed to do_ , “Well, guess I’ll see you later then.”

Lena laughs as well, a bit of a choked sound, but her voice is relaxed when it comes out. “Yeah, I’ll see you later,” she says, before turning to walk away.

Kara is heckled by her bunk for a full _hour_ after that scene while they all clean up and shower. It’s worth it.

\----------

“So,” Lena drawls lazily, accent stronger than usual in a way that makes Kara feel like bursting into flames. _‘So,'_ she mouths, trying to make it feel like she has an accent of her own. She can’t tell if it works without any sound. “How did you realize you were bi?”

“Well,” Kara says, pretending for better effect to give her response a lot of thought, “I met James. And then I met Lucy.” She makes an attempt at wiggling her eyebrows _(it’s the thought that counts)_. “Maybe I should ask if they’re looking for a third some time.”

Two spots of color form high on Lena’s cheeks. “ _Kara_ , stoppp, I didn’t know.”

“What if I was being serious?”

“Are you being serious?”

“Do you think I am?” Kara challenges her. The tone of their conversation has changed somewhere along the way and Kara’s not quite sure when or why.

Lena appears to think about it for a few moments _(a few moments that feel like a very long time to kara, for some reason)_. “No,” she says eventually, “I don’t think so.”

Kara lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, feeling as though her whole body deflates, but in a good way. “Good,” she says. “Of course I’m not.”

“Of course you’re not,” Lena repeats quietly. There’s a look of almost wonder on her face. She opens her mouth as though to say something, but she pauses, and Kara thinks she better get this conversation back to where it started.

“How about you?” she asks, her voice a little louder than it needs to be. “How did you realize you liked girls?” _(lena had confessed to her that sometimes she felt uncomfortable with the word ‘lesbian.’ ‘I feel bad, because I know there’s nothing wrong with being a lesbian, I mean I am one, for fucks sake, but it feels weird to say.’ ‘hey, you’re right that there’s nothing wrong with it, but there’s also nothing wrong with feeling uncomfortable or weird about the word. we all have our things.’ she thinks it’s perhaps somehow both the most and least coherent thing she’s ever said to lena)_.

“ _Well_ ,” Lena says, eyebrow raised and a smirk on her lips. Kara gulps. “I go to boarding school.”

When she doesn’t elaborate further after a few moments, Kara frowns. “That’s not an answer.”

“If you went to my school you would accept it as an answer,” Lena mumbles, half to herself. “And you gave a joke answer!”

“It was only partially a joke! James and Lucy really did help me realize I was bi. Along with the X Files. I wanted to be an alien just so I could meet Mulder and Scully.”

Lena smiles indulgently at her. “Gillian Anderson?” she hums. “That’s reasonable.”

Kara nods in defense of her answer despite the fact that it doesn’t need defending, and resolutely doesn’t think about Lena thinking about Gillian Anderson. “I can see you trying to avoid my question you know,” she tries to say sternly, though based on the deepening of Lena’s smile it doesn’t really work. “You’re not subtle.”

Lena’s mouth drops open in mock-offense for a moment before it curls back into a smirk. “Maybe I wasn’t trying to be subtle.” Kara glares dolefully at her for a few moments, nearly resorting to pouting, and Lena can clearly see where that line of defense is going, because she gives in. “Alright, alright,” she says breezily, holding her hands up. “I actually realized while I was here.”

“Here,” Kara repeats. “At camp?” At Lena’s slight nod, she squeals in excitement. “Who made you realize? Do I know them? Oh Rao, it’s not someone annoying is it? Because I won’t judge you, but I will judge you a little bit actually. Please tell me it wasn’t Veronica-”

Lena’s cheeks have been growing steadily redder throughout her ramble, and she cuts in there. “God! No! It wasn’t Veronica. Not that she’s unattractive, I mean, she’s _not._ ” Kara frowns. “She’s just also an asshole.”

“Well, as good as it is to know you don’t like...people like Veronica,” Kara starts. The corner of Lena’s lip twitches as she clearly tries not to smile. “That still doesn’t answer my question.”

Lena sighs indulgently. “I’m sorry, Kara, but that’s classified information. I _will_ tell you though that you do know her.” Kara brightens, running through ideas of who it might be, until she realizes that the hint doesn’t really narrow things down. She’s likely to know anyone here that Lena knows, unless they were only here before Kara started coming to camp. But then Lena is leaning in closer to her, warm breath brushing momentarily against her lips before shifting closer to her ear, and Kara’s eyes go _wide_ as Lena whispers, “And I think you’ll know who I’m talking about if you really think about it.”

She leans back away again, casually moving onto another conversation as though they weren’t just close enough to kiss, but Kara doesn’t recover for the rest of the afternoon.

\----------

A few nights later, their evening activity is a movie night. After dinner, they all head back to their bunks to get changed into pajamas and grab blankets, before heading over to the weird, _weird_ building that serves as the location for such things. Kara knows the upstairs is reserved for the counselors to hang out in during their little free time _(it’s rumored to contain a pool table and a computer and not much else. kara has never been up there to confirm, and alex has been very much enjoying not telling her since she got access to it herself)_. Downstairs, there’s an inexplicable raised platform of wide, squishy-carpet-covered steps covering most of the floor, surrounded by what Kara calls the moat - the pathway around the room that’s usually half-filled with the shoes people aren’t allowed to wear in the rest of it. Needless to say, they don’t really use this building very much, but it works for movies, so here they are.

Kara’s bunk arrives first, as usual, but it’s only moments later when Sam plops down beside her, wincing as she slams her back into the ridge of the step beneath her, but playing it off like she meant to do it. Kara glances around, but no one else has appeared with Sam.

“What are you doing here?”

“Wow,” Sam drawls, “nice to see you too. What Lena sees in you, I don’t know.” She pauses, then grins rakishly at the stupefied look Kara must be making, and says, “Alright, that’s a lie, I do know. But that’s not what I came early to talk to you about. You two are finally dating now, right?”

Kara blinks, unsure she heard any of that right. “You came early to ask if Lena and I are dating? _Finally?_ ”

Sam raises an eyebrow in a way that’s eerily reminiscent of Lena. Kara doesn’t like it as much when she does it. “Yes, that’s what I said, isn’t it?”

“What do you mean finally?” Kara asks, and then rethinks which part of the question was most important. “And no, we’re not.” It comes out as more of a question than an answer though, and Sam’s eyebrow raises yet further.

“You don’t sound too sure about that,” she says.

“Sure about what?” a new, very familiar voice chimes in, and Kara feels her face blanch. “ _Sam_ , you haven’t been teasing her, have you?” Lena sits down on Kara’s other side, much more carefully than Sam had.

“Is there something I _should_ be teasing her about?” Kara can hear the wiggle of her eyebrows in her voice, but she can’t bring herself to look at either of them to see it, unsure what’s safe to do or say.

Lena’s hand trails gently up her arm, squeezing at her bicep. “Hey. Are you okay?” she asks softly. Kara dimly hears Sam sigh and grumble something like _‘that’s that’_ under her breath before moving away, but she’s only focused on Lena now.

“Yeah,” she says. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Lena looks worried, like she doesn’t believe her, and Kara suddenly just wants to kiss her and make it better _(which, where did that thought even come from?)_ , but she can’t do that _(can she?)_ , because they’re not dating _(they’re not, are they?)_ , and even if they were she certainly couldn’t do it here, for the first time, in the midst of all the other last-years, on a gross old carpet that smells like feet. “Are you sure?”

Instead, she turns and tucks a strand of hair behind Lena’s ear, lingering a few moments too long despite herself. “Yes,” she breathes, unable to say it any louder, and she feels like her heart stops beating when Lena leans her cheek into her hand, feels like Lena can see straight through her.

The moment is interrupted by the _loud_ sound of the speakers that have been found to use for the movie, followed quickly by a curse and rapid clicking to turn the volume down, but Kara still feels Lena lying beside her the entire time the movie plays, even in the places they’re not touching _(she follows about 30% of what happens. it’s fine)_. They walk back to the bunks together, hand in hand after Lena intertwines their fingers a few steps outside, and Kara thinks about what Sam said. That _is_ what she wants. _Finally._ She likes the sound of that.

\----------

“Are you ready?” Lena asks.

Yes. Objectively, Kara is ready.

They’ve planned everything out, down to their outfits _(luckily she has a lot of blue clothes. alex has always said it’s her color)_ , all of the posters are done, as are the lists _(so many lists - lists of campers, lists of events, lists of rules)_ , and all of the captains are set up with walkie-talkie contact, amongst themselves and also with the counselors helping for logistical purposes. She’s wanted to be a captain ever since her first color war, and she’s excited to do it beside Winn _(and opposite lena)_.

Subjectively?

“I’m a little nervous.”

Lena smiles softly at her, though it’s sharpened a bit by her bright red lipstick. “You’re going to do great, darling.” Kara flushes at the endearment, and she hopes the streaks of blue paint on her face render it invisible. “Though we, of course, are going to do better,” Lena continues matter-of-factly, though there’s a distinctly teasing tone to her voice.

Kara’s jaw drops open, and she tackles her _(though it’s more of a hug)_. “That is a _lie!_ You take that back!” Lena remains stoic in the face of her embrace, mouth stubbornly remaining closed, until Jack whistles at them.

“Oi! Lovebirds! Time to go!”

Kara jumps and releases Lena to immediately head towards him and hide how flustered his comment makes her _(it really shouldn’t, at this point, with all of the attention they’ve been enduring for a while now, but for some reason it’s been getting harder to ignore over the past couple of days. there’s a kind of inevitable feeling that comes along with the teasing, and kara doesn’t know what to make of it)_.

Jack is standing by a golf cart decked out with streamers in red, green, and blue, James in the driver’s seat in preparation to drive them over to A-side and take some photos _(kara had strongly petitioned to be able to drive them over herself - she’s always wanted to drive one of the golf carts - but been equally strongly shot down. with evidence)_.

All of the campers have been corralled into big groups, one on each side of camp, ostensibly to watch a movie together, but really so that the captains can announce the start of color war to everyone at once - Brainy, Winn, and Veronica are staying on B-side to inform the older campers, while Lena, Kara, and Jack are heading over to A-side now to inform the younger ones - one captain from each team per side.

Kara climbs into the back of the cart, giving Lena a hand up that she probably wouldn’t need if not for her costume _(and probably still doesn’t really need, but kara’s looking to give herself a reason)_. She’s decked out in bright red shorts and a cut-up once-white shirt that they’d nearly covered with red paint, with that same paint adorning most of her uncovered skin _(though in a much nicer pattern than kara’s own, blue, paint. lena is evidently far more patient than her when it comes to such things)_. There’s a piece of red fabric braided through her hair, serving both as an additional signifier of her team and a way to keep her hair out of her face, which Kara had had the honor _(and pleasure)_ of helping her arrange, but Kara’s _personal_ favorite part of her outfit is the cape. She’s wearing a _cape_. All in all, Kara thinks Lena right now is maybe the best view she’s ever laid eyes on _(not that she doesn’t always think that. just, right now? it’s especially noticeable) (she is a little upset she doesn’t get her own cape though. blue knee socks are a mediocre replacement)_.

With everyone in the cart, Jack sitting up next to James in the front, they’re off, rumbling down the path between the two sides of camp. They’re just moments from being back out in the open, nearly visible to any campers that may have managed to wander off, when there comes a garbled mess of noise from their walkie-talkies. James brakes, intuiting correctly that they should probably see what’s going on before they _can’t_ , the cart lurching to a stop right at the edge of the treeline. Kara holds her controller up to her ear in an attempt to decipher what’s being said, and it’s still a mess of different people trying to talk over one another, but the gist of it is discernible - Veronica is nowhere to be found. “Oh, you’ve _got_ to be fucking kidding me,” Jack curses from the front seat of the golf cart.

Lena reaches a calming hand back to lay on his shoulder and Kara feels an extremely unreasonable burst of jealousy in her stomach. “Hey,” Lena says soothingly, “it’s going to be fine,” but Kara can tell she’s a little more worried than she’s letting on by the increased hint of accent coming through in her voice. Lena presses the button down on her walkie-talkie and holds it up to her mouth. “Do her friends know where she is?” she asks.

Winn tries to respond, but he’s clearly panicking, and there’s a loud noise as Brainy takes over. “As her friends are not meant to be aware of the fact that breakout is occurring tonight, they are equally not meant to be aware of her whereabouts at this time.”

Kara smiles as Lena visibly struggles not to roll her eyes, instead letting out a quiet sigh before she responds. “Yes, well, that doesn’t really mean anything with them. Send someone to check, would you? And if you can’t find her, I’m sure Sam will be willing to help out and take her place for the time being.” She sends a questioning glance at Jack at this and he flashes an OK sign with his hand, nodding with enthusiasm. There’s the trace of an amused smile on Lena’s lips. “She’s on the green team.”

“And be quick about it!” Jack adds when she’s done, before deflating in his seat, sinking nearly to the floor of the cart. “God, I knew this Veronica business was a shitshow waiting to happen.” And that doesn’t really need a response, at this point.

It’s nearly ten minutes later when they next hear from the others - Lena has slumped onto Kara’s shoulder, Jack is tapping his foot incessantly in the front seat, and James has taken to fiddling with his camera for the time being. Winn quickly informs them of what’s going on. With no clue as to the whereabouts of Veronica, Fiona had been sent out to find Sam and inform her of the situation and their need for her help, as neither Brainy nor Winn could go out when they were already in costume. Just as Sam had finished rapidly getting ready, Veronica had sauntered into the room, as though without a care in the world, seemingly oblivious to the litany of glares being sent her way, and said, “Well, what are we waiting for?” Sam had told them to let Jack know she’d be on standby if there were any other issues _(‘probably also if he needs someone who’s not an asshole to have his back, knowing sam,’ lena whispers in kara’s ear)_ , and that was that.

“I guess it’s time to get you guys over there then,” James says, and with that they set off once more, Kara quickly letting the counselors in charge of the movie know that they’re on their way. They’d intended to have the movies only just barely start before they arrived, cutting into them with Star Wars scenes - hopefully nobody has gotten too invested in the movies in the time wasted by Veronica.

James stops the golf cart behind the dining hall so that nobody notices them driving up, leaving them just to run around to the front of the building where a screen has been set up when they hear their cue.

As Kara _(once again somewhat unnecessarily)_ helps Lena hop down from the back of the cart, she hears the first interruption, followed by a return to the ‘real’ movie. It’s quickly followed by the second, and this time there are a few screams of excitement from some of the older kids who now have a clue what’s going on. She grins at Lena, then impulsively leans forward to place a kiss on her forehead. “For good luck,” she says, “not that you need it.”

Lena smiles back at her, eyes warm, and suddenly Kara can’t hear the increasingly loud yells from the other side of the building, can’t hear anything really, except for Lena. “I’d give you one too, but I wouldn’t want to brand you,” she says, a twinkle in her eyes as she points at her bright-red-lipsticked lips.

_I wouldn’t mind,_ Kara thinks, and then Jack is tugging at both of their arms, an amused look on his face. “Let’s go.”

Running out front is like running into a wall of noise. The Star Wars theme is now playing loudly out of the speakers that were being used for the movie, but its volume is nothing compared to the screaming of all the kids in front of them. Kara takes a step forward from where she, Jack, and Lena have stopped in front of the screen and raises her arms dramatically to her sides. “Who’s ready for color war?” she shouts. It’s not a question that really requires an answer, at this point, but she gets one as the screaming rises to an even higher pitch.

Once they get the kids to quiet down a bit, with help from the counselors interspersed throughout the crowd, each of them takes their turn to read off a list of who is going to be on their team. Then it’s time to head to separate locations, where they’ll each be meeting with their fellow captains and the rest of their team members from B-side. Lena subtly brushes her arm as they’re separating, shooting her an attempted wink that makes her feel warm from the roots of her hair down to her toes before she turns away and rallies her newly-minted troops with a cry of “Red team this way!”

Kara turns in the opposite direction, tugging her blue bandana off of her neck to hold in the air like a flag and heading in the direction of the dance pavilion, the meeting spot they’ve been accorded. They make it there shortly before Winn and his group do, their spot being the closest to B-side, and she’s just finishing up taking attendance based on her list when the older campers flow into the space.

Winn jogs up and greets her with the special handshake he’d _insisted_ they create a few days earlier, and then they get into business. Their time is limited tonight, since the hope is that everyone _(besides the captains, at least)_ will at least try to get a good amount of sleep before they’re extra active all day tomorrow, so they can’t keep them too long. They start with teaching everyone a cheer to keep the excitement up long enough to last through the following heap of logistics. They go through basic rules and then lay out the schedule of how the day is going to go _(most of the campers know this, for the most part, having come to camp in previous years, but it’s always good to go over it, and there are some newbies)_ , leaving activity sign-ups for the morning but letting people know what those activities will actually be. They finish up with a second cheer, and a practice round of both of them, before releasing the campers to head back to their bunks _(running and screaming for the younger campers, and more sedately on the part of the B-siders. kara has a moment of laughter at the thought of alex having to deal with her bunk tonight)_.

She and Winn hang a little behind the rest of their friends and bunkmates as they start back across the path so they can talk through what still needs to get done tonight _(though first winn describes the scene when veronica had finally appeared in a little more, possibly slightly exaggerated, detail, leaving kara wheezing with laughter)_. The main task is to get all of the decorations set up before tomorrow - a seemingly simple task, it’s likely to take at least a couple of hours with all of them working together, since they have to first get everything over from the gym on B-side to the dining hall on A-side, before hanging it all up and arranging the space, all of this without ripping or otherwise harming any of the work that’s been done over the past few weeks. They also need to go over the schedule for tomorrow one more time to make sure that everything is ready to go, and that they all know where they need to be _(and where they need everyone else to be)_ at what times.

Needless to say, it’s kind of a lot, and they’ve only just started. It’s _exhilarating_ though. Kara slings an arm around Winn’s shoulder, taking them into a skip that he protests weakly against, but doesn’t seem to _really_ mind with how much he gets into it.

They’re laughing, out of breath, when they get to the B-side dining hall, Kara holding the door open for Winn before following him through. Lena turns, having arrived before them, eyebrow arched in somewhat-tired amusement. “Having fun already, you two?”

Kara chokes on her laughter, swallowing thickly and blinking rapidly, and Winn lets out an unsubtle snort. “Yeah,” Kara says. “Yeah,” she repeats at a more audible volume, “excited to decorate.”

“Well I’m glad _someone_ is,” Jack says, walking through the door noticeably alone. “Veronica cut and run after the meeting, I think I’ll be taking Sam up on her offer tomorrow.” No one seems to be particularly surprised by this news.

“I can go get her now,” Lena offers, “I’m sure she’d be willing to help out.”

Jack waves a hand. “Nah, better if she gets some rest, I can fill her in in the morning. Probably can’t really make it official or anything anyway.”

Lena agrees with a nod, but there’s a look on her face that makes Kara take the few steps over to her and place a soothing hand on her arm as everyone else heads towards the stairs at the back of the room. “Hey, you okay?”

Lena tugs a smile onto her face and looks up at her, and Kara feels her eyes go soft, tension leaking out of her that she hadn’t even realized she was carrying, just from looking at Lena. _Wow._ “Yeah, just a little worried about tomorrow. And I really don’t like Veronica. She could’ve just said no, if she was gonna do this the whole time.”

“Yeah, she’s a real asshole,” Kara says, and Lena’s mouth drops open.

“Kara Danvers, did you just curse?”

Kara feels her face flush bright red. “It felt kind of weird,” she admits. “Did you like it?” _(and what prompted her to think asking that was a good idea, she couldn’t say)_.

Lena laughs brightly and grabs her hand to tug her upstairs. “I’m very proud.”

The five of them gather up all of the posters upstairs fairly quickly, but they’re then faced with the dilemma of how to get them where they need to go. James had left them access to the golf cart _(though they’d been strongly cautioned to be careful with their use of it)_ , but it won’t fit all of them, and certainly won’t be conducive to keeping the posters safe. In the end they decide that Brainy will drive it over, so they can at least ride it back when they’re done, and the rest of them will walk over with the posters _(kara can’t really imagine brainy driving anything, for some reason, but he assures her that he can not only drive a car, but also fly a plane, so he’s sure he can handle a golf cart. ‘a plane?’ kara incredulously mouths to lena, who just shrugs in response. ‘nothing about brainy surprises me anymore’)_.

It’s nearing midnight by the time they’ve gotten everything over to the A-Side dining hall, having had to make two trips to get everything. They quickly pair off _(apart from jack, who looks a bit like he’s regretting saying no to lena’s offer to grab sam)_ in their respective corners, and Kara relates her ideas to Winn, who agrees easily, looking glad to have some instruction, and by the time they’re done it somehow seems like it’s been only a few minutes but also a few hours _(in reality it’s somewhere in between)_. They go to help Jack finish up, as do Lena and Brainy, the five of them all together finishing the Green team section rapidly, though by then they’re all flagging a bit, Lena’s yawn leading to four responding yawns in rapid succession. They take a few minutes to look over the schedule again, but when nothing immediately jumps out as being an issue they collectively decide it’ll probably be better to go through it in the morning once they’ve gotten a bit of rest.

Before they head out, Kara stops to take one more look at her masterpiece. Lena joins her, pressing into her side. “Looks nice,” she says, one hand coming up to stifle another yawn. “Not as nice as ours, obviously, but nice.”

Kara frowns at her in mock-offense before taking a look over her shoulder at the Red team section across the room. It looks very...precise. She feels a smile tugging at her lips. Exactly what she would expect from a Lena-Brainy teamup. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, we’ll see what you say when we beat you tomorrow.”

Lena scoffs half-heartedly, evidently too tired to make much of an effort. “First of all, it’s today now, and second of all, we won’t, because you’re not going to beat us.”

Kara’s smile widens, and she hums, unconvinced. “Alright, we should probably get going.” Lena slumps further against her. “What, do you need me to carry you?” Lena abruptly straightens at that, and Kara’s a little bewildered until she sees the pink in her cheeks, at which point she’s slightly confused but mostly endeared.

“I’m good,” Lena squeaks out, before walking outside to where the golf cart is waiting, leaving Kara to follow in her wake.

The guys are already there, Jack and Winn in the back seat and Brainy back in the front, one seat conspicuously left open for the two of them. “Oh,” Kara says, stopping in her tracks, “I forgot. I can walk back.” It doesn’t sound like a great time right now, but it’s not too far - she’ll survive.

“I’ll come with you,” Lena pipes up, and Kara shoots her a grateful smile, but their plan is derailed by Jack.

“There’s no need for that, you guys, you two can just sit together, right?”

“Yeah,” Winn adds _(it doesn’t add much to the argument)_. Jack glances at Lena for approval and her eyes flash towards Kara momentarily before she nods jerkily, and then Kara finds three sets of eyes on her _(lena seems to have used up her ability to look at her with that one glance)_.

“Yeah, of course,” she says, nodding and stepping forward to sit down in the front beside Brainy. She pats her lap awkwardly to indicate to Lena to come sit, cheeks on fire, and does her best to ignore the feeling that this was a setup of some kind as Lena sets carefully into the cart and sits down on her lap.

It feels like she doesn’t breathe the entire ride, though she must, since the smell of Lena’s shampoo gets caught in her nose as her hair brushes her face _(she’d released it from her braid into a looser ponytail sometime while they’d been working)_. Her arms are wrapped tightly around Lena to keep her from jostling too much, and Lena’s back is pressed flush to her front. She feels a little bit like she might die _(and also like she wouldn’t mind that much)_.

Happily, the conspicuously silent ride comes to an end soon, much faster than it would’ve been to walk back, and the two of them are left alone to walk over to the girls’ bunks while the guys head back to their own with waves and grumbled promises of seeing one another in a few hours.

“I don’t know how I’m going to fall asleep,” Kara confesses after a few moments of silence. “I’m so tired, but I feel like there’s no way I’m actually going to be able to sleep at this point.”

Lena seems to think for a few moments, before, “Come sleep with me.” Kara opens her mouth, whether to protest or acquiesce she’s not sure, but she doesn’t have to decide when Lena continues with, “No one is going to mind tonight. Honestly, probably no one will even know, with how early we have to get up.”

And that’s how Kara ends up crawling into Lena’s bed-cave with her that night, after they’ve carefully placed their costumes to the side and each slipped into some of Lena’s clothes. She has to admit, the setup is kind of nice, and she appreciates seeing all of Lena’s books carefully stacked at the end of the bed before Lena tugs her arm around her and curls into her, and her eyes slip closed of their own accord.

It feels like only seconds later when she wakes up again, but it at least feels like they were restful seconds. She blinks her eyes open sleepily to discover the pillow empty beside her, and she looks down the bed to where she feels pressure against her legs to see Lena sitting up, looking sleep-mussed and adorable, hand cupped around her mouth and her walkie-talkie as she informs whoever is on the other end in a whisper that they’ll be out soon. Kara feels her eyes crinkle with the force of her smile, and it only grows as Lena gifts her with her own dimpled smile in return. “Good morning,” she whispers to Kara, letting the hand with the device fall to the bed.

“Good morning,” Kara whispers back through her smile, “few more minutes?” She opens her arms in an invitation that Lena takes, practically collapsing on top of her, unselfconscious in a way that Kara loves that she’s allowed to see now, tucking her face into Kara’s neck.

“One more minute,” she counters, but Kara doesn’t mind, with the way she can feel her smile against her skin. She almost thinks she must be dreaming, but if she was dreaming she probably wouldn’t have to get up in less than a minute.

Lena keeps them to her deadline, though she seems almost as reluctant to move as Kara, and there’s a moment, just before she rolls to the side to get up, that Kara just barely allows herself to think that she’s about to kiss her. She doesn’t, and they quickly slip back into their t-shirts and shorts _(kara taking a deep breath to compose herself first)_ before grabbing the rest of their costume components and taking them outside to put on somewhere where they don’t have to worry about being so quiet.

Brainy is already in the gym when they get there, and he gives them a silent nod before appearing to fall asleep standing against the wall. Kara’s not sure where Jack and Winn are, given that they’re in the same bunk as Brainy, but she’s sure they’ll be there soon, and she and Lena take the time to apply their paint _(though first lena holds out the fabric for her braid, a twinkling request in her eyes, and kara gladly takes the opportunity she’s handing to her. she indulges in letting her nails scratch lightly against lena’s scalp as she does so, pretending to be oblivious to the soft sounds lena makes in her throat, glad that lena can’t see her face, which would make it clear that she absolutely isn’t oblivious)_ , Lena carefully dabbing swirls and patterns in dots down her legs and arms, while Kara just smears hers across herself to get as much color as possible, sticking her tongue out when Lena gives her design a disdainful look _(though lena does reluctantly trust her to make two lines across each of her cheeks. trusts her enough to let her do it before going to check it for herself in the bathroom, at least)_.

Jack and Winn get there just as they’re finishing up, and the five of them take a ride over to A-Side just to check that everything is all set to go, Lena once again sitting on Kara’s lap, solely made less awkward than last night by the fact that they’re all actually speaking now, making sure they have the schedule down _(and perhaps also slightly by the fact that she’d spent all last night holding lena. all four hours of it, anyway)_.

Once they’re satisfied that everything is as prepared as it can be, they split up, Kara, Jack, and Brainy staying on A-Side to wake the younger campers, and Lena and Winn making the trip back over to wake the older ones _(kara can’t really imagine lena running and yelling through the bunks to wake everyone up, but she’s proven she’s invested in this captain thing. she’s sure she’ll manage somehow)_ , all of them promising to keep their walkie-talkies on hand _(lena blows kara a kiss just before she turns to drive away. kara stares after her for what must be at least a full minute before jack drags her away)_.

After that things rapidly progress. Each team has a short team meeting before breakfast _(no one wants to push breakfast off for too long, but it’s best if they’re all gathered into teams before they have to find their seats in the dining hall)_ , and Kara and Winn take the time to go over the two cheers they’d taught the night before, making sure everyone remembers them.

Breakfast is an excited affair, the room buzzing with sound as the campers take in the decorations and discuss their hopes and plans for the day. Kara notes Jack talking to Sam, pretty seriously from the look of it, and looks around there to see that Veronica appears to be completely ignoring the fact that she was meant to be a captain, lounging back against the table behind her surrounded by Otis, Mercy, and Siobhan. She rolls her eyes, but she’s pulled away from her annoyance when she feels a tug on her shirt and it turns out to be one of the younger campers on her team, who asks her if she’ll come with her to get some peanut butter and jelly. “Yeah, of course,” she beams down at her, receiving an adorable grin in return, and they make their way to the kitchen window.

“Fancy seeing you here,” comes a familiar voice from behind her as she takes the peanut butter and jelly from the person in the window with a thank you and passes them to the girl beside her, and she grins, turning around to see a mock expression of surprise on Lena’s face.

“I don’t know, you’re the one who’s far from her territory,” Kara says with a pointed look at the Red team tables, across on the other side of the room. She hears a noise of agreement from beside her and her grin widens, eyes crinkling as Lena tilts her head to look down at her companion.

“And who might you be?” she asks, and it could be aggressive but she asks it so gently that Kara can’t help but feel yet more endeared to her.

“Eva,” the girl responds, hand wrapped tightly in the bottom of Kara’s t-shirt, which Lena clearly notices going by the amused look in her eye. “You’re on the wrong team,” she adds, and Kara stifles a laugh, nodding seriously at Lena.

“ _Yeah,_ you are,” she agrees, before leading Eva back to their tables with a wave over her shoulder to Lena, laughing at the eyes-on-you gesture that Lena sends back.

After that, they’re off to a longer team meeting, getting everyone signed up for their main morning and afternoon activities. It’s a long process, having to go through each activity three times, first to let people know what the options are, then to get them signed up, and finally to read off names so that everyone knows where they’re going. It’s worth it though, for how excited everyone is, and for the feeling of responsibility - she’s wanted this for so long.

Eventually they get everyone sent off, she and Winn sticking behind to make sure anyone who doesn’t know where to go gets to where they need to be, before they split up to go motivate people and get some cheering going - Winn heads towards the pool, while Kara sticks around to watch soccer get started.

She moves around throughout the morning, checking on all the different sports, as well as on the more artistic endeavors that will last throughout the whole day, a shifting group of Blue team members following her around as they finish up an activity or find some other friends to cheer with. She sees Lena a few times, at one point getting her group into a cheering war with Lena’s across the basketball court, but she’s mostly swept up in the excitement of the day and her role as a team leader.

By the time they’re getting close to lunch, she can already feel her throat getting a little sore from all the yelling, but she knows there’s still a significant amount left to go, so she keeps her water bottle as filled as she can and hopes her voice will hold out as long as possible.

Before they get to lunch _(which will pose its own challenges - the meal is traditionally silent, with campers who speak losing points for their teams)_ , they have _one_ more activity to go - tug-of-war. They’d had some campers sign up earlier, but there will be several rounds with different groups of people called to participate. It’s entertainment for the most part, not contributing much to which team will eventually win the day, but nonetheless, Kara is prepared.

What she’s not prepared for is when the Green team captains get called to come up against the Blue team, and Sam gets up to join Jack only for Veronica to suddenly take an interest, protesting that _she_ is the captain, not Sam, and it seems no one else is prepared for it either, the air tense.

“You want to go up against us so bad, come on up!” She finds herself yelling out a challenge almost before the thought has run through her head, but she sends a reassuring wink at Sam, who looks ready to protest, causing her shoulders to deflate slightly and the angry expression on her face to slacken.

Kara takes a spot right at the front of their side of the rope, despite knowing the back is probably better, strategy-wise - it won’t do for the visual she wants. She’s pleased when Veronica takes much the same position on the other side, Jack taking up a space behind her, much as Winn does behind Kara.

When the whistle blows to start the round, Kara plants her feet, keeping a tight hold on the rope to keep it from moving as much as possible. Just as the others seem to be getting fatigued, she loosens her hands a bit, letting the rope run through them and allowing Veronica and Jack to think they’ve won, before sharply yanking back on it just as they’ve let their effort slacken off, causing Veronica to sprawl onto the ground in front of her and the knot in the center of the rope to come over onto their side of the line. She smiles brightly down at Veronica, offering a hand up which she ignores, picking herself to her feet and scowling as she wipes herself off and stalks away. Kara turns to the crowd then with a whoop, Winn taking it upon himself to jump onto her back and wave a fist in the air as their whole team breaks into a cheer. Kara’s eyes aren’t on them though, having found Lena in the crowd, eyes wide and lower lip tugged between her teeth in a way that makes her slightly breathless. Tug-of-war is wisely brought to an end after that spectacle, and they all quiet their teams before heading in to lunch.

All three teams do quite well at staying quiet throughout lunch, despite the counselors’ best efforts to trick some noise out of them. Alex stops by to tell her nice job for earlier and to tease her about Lena when she knows she can’t respond with anything but an intense glare, but other than that it’s uneventful - a good opportunity to rest her voice before the further cheering of the afternoon and evening.

They have yet another team meeting after lunch _(and there had never seemed to be so many in years prior)_ , reminding everyone of the afternoon activities they’ve signed up for and doing _further_ signups for the Big Race that will take place after those. Kara is cajoled into participating herself despite the fact that captains normally just lead the main running crowds of their teams when Nia reveals the nickname she’s received for her ropes course exploits, leading to a fast-escalating chant of _‘Supergirl! Supergirl! Supergirl!’ (winn assures her that he can handle the task of leading on his own for the first few stops on the course before they get to ropes, and who is she to say no to the wishes of her whole team?)_.

Once they’ve finished signups for that, it’s back to wandering and cheering once again, and she’s just on her way back towards the dining hall by herself to check on the artists and maybe make some tea _(or like. some hot water. she’s not picky)_ , when she spots a flash of red out of the corner of her eye and turns to see Lena. She feels herself become comically more animated, almost wanting to laugh at herself for it, but she shakes it off, breaking into a light jog over to her. “Hey,” she breathes when she reaches her. “How’s it going?”

“It’s going quite well, we’re definitely on track to beat you, so…” Lena trails off into laughter as Kara nods enthusiastically before she actually takes in what Lena’s words mean, at which point she sharply shakes her head, frowning at her.

“Rude,” she mumbles, and Lena just laughs harder. Kara waits for her to compose herself, arms crossed and a pout on her face.

She does, eventually, leaning heavily forward into Kara as she laughs far more than the situation deserves _(kara thinks she might just be a little bit dehydrated. or overtired. probably both)_. “I’ve been meaning to find you, actually,” she says, situating herself back on her own feet and taking her hands off of Kara, an unwelcome change _(though not one that kara can protest)_.

“Yeah?” Kara says. “Did you need help with something?”

Lena doesn’t provide a response _(or at least not one for kara’s ears. she’s pretty sure she hears her say something like ‘you could say that’ under her breath)_ , simply lacing their hands together and tugging Kara quickly across the road and behind the nearest arts and crafts building, casting an amusingly furtive glance around.

“What are we doing?” Kara’s asking in a whisper _(it feels weird to talk louder than that when lena’s acting so mysterious)_ , when Lena steps back against the wall of the building, hand that’s not held in Kara’s fisting in the front of her t-shirt and pulling her in close until their noses are almost brushing. _“Oh,”_ Kara says. She sees Lena shiver as the word hits her lips, and feels her grip loosen, which is _not_ what she wants, and that’s how she finds herself pressing forward, crossing the final distance until their lips meet.

She almost pulls back immediately in shock, would have, if not for Lena’s arm shifting up from the grip she has on her shirt to wrap around the back of her neck as though to pull her in yet closer. She lets herself sink into the feeling of Lena’s lips on hers then, brings her free hand up with the intent to sift through Lena’s hair, disgruntled when she encounters her braid and remembers she can’t really do that right now, but going with the flow and scratching lightly at the back of her neck instead.

Lena likes her improvisation, evidently, a soft sound drawing its way up from her throat that Kara feels more than sees as she opens her mouth beneath her, allowing Kara to tentatively deepen the kiss.

She pulls back after a few more moments, insofar as she can with the way Lena is wrapped around her _(not to mention how little she wants to)_ , breathing more heavily than she perhaps should be. “Was that okay?” she asks softly, suddenly worried that she somehow could’ve misinterpreted what Lena wanted despite everything pointing to the opposite.

Lena leans the few inches forward to place another short, soft kiss against her kips. Kara’s eyes drop closed in a mixture of relief and awe that _Lena_ is _kissing her_. “Did I give any indication it wasn’t okay?”

Kara blinks, cheeks warm. She still can’t really believe the situation she’s in right now, despite the evidence that’s _literally_ in her hands. “Well. No, but-”

“But what?” Lena cuts her off, voice dropping lower in a way that makes Kara feel even warmer, a real feat right now. “Does it seem like I brought you back here for any other reason than that I wanted you to do that?”

Kara’s eyes widen as she processes Lena’s words, dropping to Lena’s lips before lifting back up to meet Lena’s, which mainly look amused, though there’s something slightly deeper than that that makes Kara press forward once more, slanting their lips together again, already marginally more confident.

She feels Lena smile against her lips, and she can’t help but smile back herself, and they’re mostly just pressing their smiles together until Lena takes it upon herself to change that, hooking her leg up near Kara’s hip and pressing even closer, which leads Kara to gasp into her mouth and allows her to triumphantly deepen the kiss. Kara loops a hand under her thigh, ostensibly to help her keep her balance, although when she does the same on the other side she’s willing to admit to herself it’s mostly because she likes the idea of being the one to hold Lena up _(with the aid of the wall)_.

Lena approves of the change, both hands free now so that one can sink into her hair and the other can rub _(possibly unconscious)_ circles on her arm.

Neither knows how long it’s been when they hear a chattering sound coming from both of their walkie talkies _(though kara has just built up the confidence to put into action her wonderful-if-she-does-say-so-herself idea of shifting her focus slightly to kiss along lena’s jaw and down her neck, revelling in the heavy sound of her breathing above her)_.

They pull apart reluctantly, Kara raising her device from where it’s clipped at her waist so that both of them can hear. It’s Winn, asking all of the other captains to meet him over by the flagpoles. Kara presses down the button to speak. “We’ll be right there,” she says, casting a confused look at Lena when her eyes widen in something like panic.

“You should probably go first,” Lena says, “and then I’ll follow you, so they don’t know we were, um, doing...this.” She makes some kind of odd gesture with her hand to accompany the statement, cheeks flushing bright red, and Kara really just wants to stay here and continue ‘doing this,’ but she agrees, it’s probably best they don’t advertise that they stole away to make out behind the arts and crafts building while they were supposed to be captain-ing. She leans in to press one last lingering kiss to Lena’s cheek before turning to jog off. Just before she’s out of sight around the corner of the building Lena calls out to her. “Wait!” Kara turns back, expression inquisitive. “Just...I’ve wanted to do that for a long time,” Lena says, a little sheepishly.

Kara grins brightly back at her, heart fluttering with warmth. “So have I.”

She jogs up to the flagpoles just a minute later, the distance not far between there and where they were, to find the other captains waiting there already, along with Alex. As she’s getting closer, Winn calls out, “I thought you said ‘we!’ Is Lena with you?”

She shakes her head no, but at the same time both Alex and Jack burst out laughing, and she frowns in confusion. “What?”

“Dude,” he chokes out through his laughter, “you’re looking pretty red.”

Kara can feel her brow furrow further, not understanding. She brings her hands to her cheeks, but Brainy corrects her. “I believe he is referring to the red paint all over your person.” Alex breaks into a coughing fit at that point, and Kara looks down, eyes widening at the smears of red paint she sees all over herself, just as Lena walks up.

“Hey guys,” Lena says, “what’s going on?”

“There’s the ‘we,’” Jack intones.

“Lena!” Kara squeaks out accusingly. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Lena’s mouth opens and then closes again. She gives a defeated shrug. “I didn’t realize until you were already gone.” She has matching smears of paint all over her. “Lila had just helped me put on some more paint. Well, forced me to put on some more paint. I guess it hadn’t set yet.”

“Yes, Lila is quite persuasive,” Brainy chimes in.

“Alright, you two need to go clean up before it’s time for the Big Race,” Alex says, having recovered, “and _please_ don’t start making out in the bathroom, I _will_ know and I _will_ kill you. Well, I’ll send someone else to kill you because I don’t need to see that, but the point is, don’t.”

Kara feels like she’s now reaching never-before-seen levels of embarrassment with _that_ addition, and quickly starts walking towards the dining hall to go get cleaned up. She hears Lena behind her asking about why they’d actually been called to meet, which turns out to be something about a few kids getting hurt, and asking them to try to get everyone to be a bit more careful, but Lena soon catches up to her, slipping through the door that she holds open before her.

They don’t speak until they get to the bathroom, at which point Kara collapses back against the wall, hiding her face into her hands. “That was so embarrassing.”

“I am _so_ sorry,” Lena says, “I don’t know what I was thinking, I should’ve realized-”

She seems set to go on for quite a while so Kara reaches out a hand to grab one of her wrists as it’s gesturing through the air. “Hey, no, you don’t need to apologize for anything. We were both,” she pauses, thinking of how to phrase what she’s saying, “reasonably distracted.” Lena bites her lip, reasonably distracting Kara, who loses her train of thought for a moment. “And honestly, one of them probably just won a bet, which I’m sure they’re excited about, so no harm done really, other than the fact that they’re never going to let us live this down. Okay?”

Lena hums. “Okay.”

They share one quick kiss after that _(well...two) (well...three) (no more than that because kara is legitimately afraid alex will somehow just know)_ , before washing the paint off and applying more, careful not to touch lest they get any on each other _(though there’s not much kara can do about her shirt at this point. there’s not too much, but it’s noticeable. she resolves to just ignore it and hope everyone else will as well)_.

They rejoin the others outside just as the time is coming to gather for the Big Race, enduring several gentle jibes that can probably be passed off as rivalry between the teams for the arriving campers. They all explain the general instructions to the gathered campers before separating into their own teams to let them know where each task is taking place and where each person should go, if they don’t remember from earlier in the day, Kara winking at Lena as she heads over to hers and enjoying the gentle blush she receives in return.

They all split up after that, campers heading to the places where they will either perform their tasks or start their runs between locations, though a good amount stay behind with Winn _(and with the other captains, who also aren’t taking part beyond the running and cheering part of the event) (which is quite a big part of it, to be fair)_ to follow the first runner as soon as the first task is finished.

Kara heads to ropes, scaling the wall quickly once her team arrives to more chants of _‘Supergirl’ (she’s long since mastered the front-side climbing wall to the point that it’s not even a challenge anymore)_ before joining the crowd. She’d seen red come and go just before her runner had arrived, but they triumphantly pass them when their person gets stuck during the card-throwing contest, their own blue challenger showing a surprising ability _(or possibly just some good luck)_. They’re nearly to the end of the race, back at the flagpoles, when Kara sees someone in green dart around the crowd, before an incoming surge of campers in green infiltrates their mob of blue.

In the end, Green overtakes Blue _(with red showing up a few minutes later)_ , but Kara isn’t overly concerned, because Green _never_ wins color war _(besides, they’d already beaten them in most of the sports earlier in the day. but mostly because of the curse)_.

After that, the rest of the day seems to fly by. They break into teams again to learn the final cheer and the song _(kara thinks that winn must have told the music campers to choose an nsync song to change the words to, there’s no way they coincidentally chose it themselves, but either way she’s very excited about that development)_ that they will be performing all together after dinner, before gathering together once more to look upon the other creative efforts of the day _(a dance, a painted bench, and a decorated cake from each team. kara knows for a fact that they burn some benches every few years when too many build up, but it’s a nice thought that people here will have some reminder of them for a while at least)_.

Dinner is relatively good _(camp food can be...iffy sometimes. not that kara cares, she’ll eat anything, but she knows other people do)_ , plus they all get to have cake at the end, so that’s a win for most people. They all know what’s coming though, and there’s an anticipatory feeling in the air as they head outside for their songs and final cheers.

The song comes first, thankfully, leaving Kara free to use the rest of the voice she has left on absolutely _screaming_ their cheer, lifting Winn up onto her shoulders in the middle of it so he can wave his fist in the air as they yell, surrounded by their team. She feels, in that moment, immediately after they finish, when there’s still a hush in the air before the other teams jump in with their congratulatory cheers, that she’ll be happy with whoever wins in the end, she’s just glad to have had this experience _(though she’s sure there will be plenty of teasing from lena if her team beats kara’s. she thinks she can handle it)_.

Sooner than feels possible _(somehow it feels like it’s been only a few minutes and also an entire week since break-out last night)_ , the campers are being sent to gather outside the A-side gym, a few counselors getting a large bonfire going nearby as the sky darkens. The captains all head to the gym to hear the results they will be tasked to break to the crowd. Alex is sent to break the news to them, in turn, presumably having been told by the judges.

“So,” Alex says, clapping her hands together slightly awkwardly, “they told me to be dramatic about this, but they should’ve chosen someone else to come tell you guys if they wanted that. Green third, Blue second, Red first.”

There’s a moment of silence as they all process what she’s just said. And then another few moments of silence as Kara, Jack, and Winn automatically turn towards Lena and Brainy, who both look _remarkably_ composed. Excited, yes, but composedly so.

“Good idea, saving the celebration for outside,” Jack jokes, and the spell is broken, Kara going to hug Lena tightly, lifting her a bit off the ground until Lena smacks at her shoulders to be let down, at which point she places a congratulatory kiss on her forehead before letting her go _(and if she looks both herself and lena up and down afterwards to check for paint, she’s not being paranoid, she’s just being prudent)_.

They briefly plan how they’re going to reveal the results - a mock battle _(‘i call dibs on kara,’ jack says, ‘she and lena obviously can’t be trusted to fight one another without starting to make out in front of everyone’)_ before heading back outside to loud cheers and bright lights.

They start their mock-fight, Kara with Jack, as promised, leaving Winn to fend off both Brainy and Lena. Jack soon dramatically falls to the floor, leaving Kara to go help Winn out, distracting Lena away with a wink that she hopes isn’t seen by the entire camp watching them. Winn falls soon afterwards, and Kara takes a few seconds to fight back against both Red captains, before she, too, gives in.

Screams fill the air, the Red team shrieking their excitement, and Kara looks up from her position on the ground to see Lena, smile wide, eyes shining as she yells with them, pulling Brainy into an awkward hug, and finds she can’t even be sad she lost.

\----------

Kara smiles as Lena comes into her view – she’s sitting at the edge of the tennis court, head tipped back to rest against the fence, and Kara can just barely make out the peaceful curve of her lips with the light from the closest building, which isn’t very close at all.

It’s a few nights after color war. Kara has finally gotten her voice back to normal, after a day and a half of avoiding speaking for the most part and almost a full bag of cough drops that she’d wheedled out of the nurse. She’d asked Lena to meet her here tonight earlier in the day _(‘the counselors have one of their events tonight. almost no one will be around to notice us. I think it’ll be nice’)_ and Lena had acquiesced much more easily than she’d thought she would.

She slips inside the fence as she comes to the door, her nose wrinkling with amusement as Lena’s head jerks up at the sound. “Hello,” she says softly. “I hope you haven’t been waiting long?”

Lena smiles, wide and lazy, cheeks dimpling and eyes squeezing closed. Kara wants to kiss her. A lot. “Not too long.”

“Good,” Kara says, breathes really, and then she can’t help herself, darts forward and just barely brushes a kiss across Lena’s cheek, before stumbling back, her own cheeks blazing. She focuses far too intently on the towels she’s brought with her, spreading them out to lie slightly overlapping on the ground, smoothing them out carefully and completely.

She nearly jumps when she feels Lena standing at her side, before she kneels down beside Kara and reaches to take her hands, drawing them away from the towels. “I think they’re alright,” she says, the words brushing against Kara’s lips, she’s so _close_ , and then she leans in yet further, and her eyes are closed, and she’s just _waiting_ , and Kara obviously has to press in and bring their lips together, can’t disappoint her, especially when it’s what _she, Kara_ , wants too, so she does.

She presses their lips together, softly, losing herself in the feeling of it, eyes still closed for a few moments even after Lena pulls away, savoring. She blinks them open, slowly, Lena’s own eyes that she still can’t _quite_ describe the color of close in front of her own, closer than she expected, before Lena pulls slightly further back, sitting on her heels. “Feel better?” she asks, sincere, a soft smirk only _just_ visible at the corner of her lips. Kara ducks her head, face warm, whole body warm, hums a response when she can’t bring herself to speak. She hears Lena shift closer again, but she doesn’t look up until there’s a hand tilting her chin up, feeling her cheeks burn even hotter as she takes in the gentle amusement on Lena’s face. “You’re right, I think you could feel a little better,” and it’s _so_ cheesy, but Kara loves cheesy, always has, so she just lets Lena move her around _(‘can’t be comfortable, on your knees like that’)_ and shift into her lap, before _(finally, it seems)_ leaning back in to kiss her again, with less than no protest.

She doesn’t know how long they kiss, losing track of time willingly and immediately, hands taking up posts on Lena’s hips, just dipping under the lower hem of her shirt as Lena tangles a hand in her hair. She can’t breathe, but in the best of ways, astonished that she’s here right now, kissing _Lena._

Lena pulls back after minutes or hours, breathing heavily, one arm draped over Kara’s shoulder as the other comes up so she can brush her thumb amazedly across her lower lip in a movement that’s somehow both incredibly endearing and the hottest thing Kara’s ever seen. She finds herself reaching out to copy her, almost unconsciously, hesitating only at the last moment before deciding she’s in it now and might as well go for it, brushing her own thumb across Lena’s lip the way Lena just did. She sucks in a sharp breath when Lena’s lips part further even at the barely-there pressure. _Oh Rao._

Lena chuckles, the sound vibrating through Kara’s hand, which she pulls away with a mumbled _‘sorry.’_ “Did I say that out loud?”

“You did,” Lena says, voice soft and low, “you say that a lot, actually, and I’ve never heard anyone else say it. I’ve always been curious about it.” Lena moves to get out of her lap then ( _with a sharp intake of breath that kara graciously ignores)_ _(though it’s more for her own peace of mind than anything else)_ , lying back on one of the towels and patting the space beside her, latching onto Kara’s hand with her own as soon as Kara lies down as well. “Let’s play twenty questions. That’s my first one.” She pauses a moment. “Obviously you don’t have to answer anything you don’t want to, though.”

“I’ll answer anything for you,” Kara says, and she feels in her heart that it’s true. There’s nothing Lena could ask her that she wouldn’t want her to know. They’re silent, as they both let the feeling of that sink into their bones. Lena squeezes her hand, and Kara squeezes back. “It’s from some stories my parents used to read me when I was younger. I think they might’ve been in some kind of cult, honestly.” She laughs, sharply, the sound tearing out of her, though the feel of it in her throat is softened by the way Lena rubs her thumb across her knuckles, saying more than any actual words would. “Anyway, it’s become a habit.”

Lena hums softly, rolls over, squishing their hands awkwardly between them as she strains to place a kiss on Kara’s cheek before rolling back to her former position. “Okay, your turn for a question.”

Kara thinks for a moment, mulling over what question she wants to ask, though it does her little good because before she knows what she’s doing she finds herself asking, “What are we going to do?” She pauses, cringing internally. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ask that, I mean, I at least should’ve worked up to it or something, just forget I said anything.” There are a few moments of silence after Kara cuts herself off, before Lena says anything, during which time Kara gets about halfway to panicking.

“You mean with us?” Lena asks. _Us,_ Kara thinks. _Wow._ There’s been a them all this summer, but there hasn’t been a _them_ them. Feels different. Lena seems to take Kara’s silence as she contemplates the different meanings of ‘us’ as a yes. “Personally, I’ve been wanting this for years now, so I’m not really looking for it to end once we leave here. I know it’ll be hard, but I’d like to at least give it a try, if that’s something you would want.” Lena’s voice gets quieter, more hesitant, towards the end of her answer, but Kara is stuck on _years._

“Years?”

“It’s my turn for a question, silly,” Lena jokes, but then she clears her throat nervously. “Remember how I said you know the person who made me realize I like girls?”

Kara’s eyes widen, and she turns her head on the ground to face Lena. _“Me?”_

Lena frowns. “Don’t sound so shocked, I think you’re a very good choice for that. You’re amazing.”

Kara blinks, opens her mouth and closes it again, not knowing what to say to that. She leans forward and kisses Lena, in lieu of a response _(and because she can do that now) (she can do that now!)_. “I’ve had a huge crush on you since my second year here,” she says. “The first one I was,” she waves a hand in the air, “sad. But yeah, I would, uh, like to try that too.” Lena doesn’t require any more explanation than that, leaning in to kiss her again.

The rest of their questions are more innocuous _(although kara does learn that lena does, in fact, know russian, to her horror) (‘you were able to read what I was writing this whole time?’ ‘well, yes, but I wasn’t going to read it without your permission...you obviously have to tell me about it now though’)_ , but there’s an undercurrent of _something_ between them that, while maybe it was there before, was buried deeper, not so near the surface.

They fall asleep eventually, Lena’s head settled on Kara’s chest _(she’s sure they’ll wake up sore in the morning - and she’s right, but she thinks it’s worth it)_.

“So,” Kara mumbles, just before that point, “are you, like, my girlfriend now?”

Lena grins sleepily up at her. “Is that an offer?” Kara nods frantically, nearly hitting her head on the ground by accident, and Lena laughs brightly. “Yes, I’d love to be your girlfriend.”

Kara falls asleep more content than she can ever remember being _(and if it means they get scolded for sneaking out at a time that no one should reasonably be awake in the morning, so be it)_.

\----------

They’re getting closer and closer to the end of camp, but Kara is currently comforting herself with the fact that they can’t be _that_ close because, at the very least, there has to be time for their tie-dye to dry.

She is trying _(and failing)_ to wrap her rubber bands neatly around her t-shirt _(lena has already finished that part of the task. kara’s pretty sure if she measured the space between each band they would be exactly equally distanced)_ when she hears a throat being dramatically cleared above them. She looks up to see Sam standing there, hands clasped behind her back, a _(slightly scary)_ smile on her face.

“So,” Sam says, smile widening, “how’s the sex?”

Kara feels her face go bright red even as she wills it not to, knowing it will only look incriminating. Lena just scoffs. “Go away, Samantha.”

Sam’s mouth drops open in mock-shock. “You talk to your friends like that Lena? Rude. Wasn’t that rude, Kara?”

Kara manages half of a helpless shrug. It was a _bit_ rude, but she also would really love for Sam to go away so they don’t have to deal with this line of questioning. Lena looks _mostly_ composed _(kara has noticed the way her hands are now fidgeting under the table, rather than fixing her already-perfect rubber bands above it)_ , but Kara is sure the same cannot be said of her.

“It was a rude question, it deserved a rude answer.” Lena glares up at Sam, but it’s a soft glare, laced with the affection Kara knows she holds for one of her best friends _(possibly her best friend, bar none. kara doesn’t want to assume anything just because they’re dating now) (has kara mentioned they’re dating now?) (!!!)_.

A dangerous-looking smirk takes shape on Sam’s lips, and Kara shifts uncomfortably as Lena silently shakes her head in hopes of stopping Sam from whatever she’s about to say.

“Are you two telling me you snuck out in the middle of the night, _stayed_ out all night, and _didn’t_ have sex? You’re fucking kidding me, right?” People are starting to look over at them, drawn by Sam’s loud incredulousness. Kara drops her head onto the table, right on top of her _(thankfully not-yet-dyed)_ tie-dye. Lena just flips Sam off until she walks away, laughing.

\----------

“So,” Lena says the next day, in the middle of their chess game, drawing out the word until it gradually peters out. Kara hums in acknowledgement, eyes locked on the board in front of her. It’s looking pretty hopeless for her, but at least she’d actually managed to take a piece from Lena this time. _Maybe move the bishop over there? No, that would leave my queen open._ Lena coughs lightly. “About what Sam said yesterday…” _What about that rook? No, bad idea, maybe just a pawn…Wait._ Kara’s eyes flash up away from the board to land on Lena’s. “Would you want to do that?” Lena asks. Rather calmly, in Kara’s opinion. She can feel a bead of sweat dripping down the back of her neck.

“What?” she squawks out.

“Would you want to have sex with me?” Lena asks bluntly _(and rather loudly, in kara’s personal opinion)_.

Kara chokes on air. She sees Mike out of the corner of her eye showing more interest than she’s ever seen him express in anything, and she attempts to discourage him with a glare, though she’s somewhat hampered by her inability to breathe.

Brainy pipes up from the corner, where he appears to be playing a game against himself. “Lena, Kara, perhaps you two ought to go outside. Approximately eighty seven percent of people prefer to have these types of conversations in private.”

Lena flashes a winning smile at Brainy. “I think you’re right,” she says, and he nods solemnly. She stands and threads her fingers with Kara’s, tugging her gently to her feet and out the door, glaring Mike into submission far better than Kara had managed to when it looks like he’s gearing himself up to say something. Kara allows herself to be led through the semi-sparse trees away from the building where they have Chess and to the gathering of benches where they hold performances and large group meetings.

She’s finally gotten her breathing fully back under control when they arrive and Lena silently urges her to sit down, a _very_ smug look on her face. “Proud of yourself, huh?” Kara mumbles.

“Well I can’t say that was the reaction I was looking for, but I definitely did appreciate it.” There’s smugness in her voice too – Kara wants to think it’s annoying, but it’s mostly just hot. She decides the only solution is to turn the tables on her _(fake it until you make it, right?)_. She backs her up against the nearest tree, hands leading on her hips, and smiles down at her.

“Did you now?” Lena’s tongue darts out to lick slowly over her lips, though it’s unclear whether it’s an attempt to provoke her further or a nervous reaction to Kara’s clearly unexpected response.

“Y-yes,” Lena stutters out, and Kara shifts to hide her grin in Lena’s neck _(it won’t do for the image she’s cultivating right now to have her see it)_. She just breathes there for a moment or two, before she nips lightly at the skin, revelling in Lena’s sharp gasp and the way she melts back against the tree as Kara soothes the spot with her tongue.

“I would want that, if you would want that,” Kara says, drawing back slightly, though she’s still pressed in close to Lena, who looks a little dazed.

“Okay,” she says, nodding, “okay, I’ll, um, I’ll take that into consideration.” She pauses, cheeks pink, eyes flitting towards Kara’s. “Kiss me please?” she asks in a small voice, so at odds with her lofty tone from earlier.

As though Kara could say no to that. She leans back in with a smile.

\----------

Kara walks nervously up onto the porch of Lena’s bunk, fiddling with the collar of her button-down. She knocks on the doorframe, looking off to the side so as not to accidentally see in through the half-open door. Leslie appears in the doorway, leaning against the jamb, unruly platinum locks surprisingly tamed back into a ponytail _(come to think of it, that’s not the only part of her look that’s neater than usual. she must have a date for banquet. kara swallows a grin, relieved at the opportunity to think about something other than her own uncalled-for nerves for a moment)_.

“Is Lena here?” Leslie rolls her eyes _(there she is)_.

“Lena,” she calls dispassionately into the bunk, “your girlfriend is on the porch. Come get her so I don’t have to look at her anymore.” Kara suppresses the frisson of delight that goes through her at being referred to as Lena’s _girlfriend_ , ignoring the rest of Leslie’s words _(that’s just how leslie is)_.

She loses her words a moment later when Lena takes Leslie’s place in the doorway, all dressed up in a deep red dress that shows off her curves and heels that she’s sure will be a struggle on the grass _(though kara’s pretty sure heels are a struggle all of the time)_. She opens and closes her mouth several times, tugging at her collar as though it’s the thing restricting her breathing, and not the vision in front of her. “Wow, Lena, you look really nice,” Kara finally manages, feeling a little as though she’s about to pass out.

Lena takes the couple of steps closer, heels clacking on the wooden floor, and _wow_ , that’s really not helping, then leans up _(not that there’s very far to go with her newly gained height)_ to place a soft kiss on each of Kara’s cheeks in greeting. “Thank you, darling. You look very nice as well.” She fixes Kara’s collar where she’s messed it up with careful fingers, casting a look up and down her. “Very handsome,” she adds, punctuating it with a kiss to her lips, before carefully wiping away the hints of lipstick transferred over. Kara is ninety nine percent sure she’s about to pass out. “I’m almost ready, just have to go finish helping Sam with her makeup. You’ll be alright out here, won’t you? Or you can come in with me, if you’d rather.”

“No, I’ll be fine out here,” Kara says, backing up towards the side of the porch to lean against the railing _(it’s closer than she expects, and she nearly tips over it when she finds it, cheeks flushing violently as the corner of lena’s mouth turns upwards in amusement)_. “You go do what you need to do.”

Lena disappears with a warm smile and a hint of perfume, and Kara schools herself. She can’t be a complete mess all night.

It’s the last night of camp, and Banquet is starting soon. Kara had asked Lena to go with her earlier in the week, not sure whether the newly established fact that they’re _dating_ would automatically imply that they were going together, and sure that Lena deserved to be asked anyway, even if Banquet was largely a joke anyway. Lena had blushed prettily, saying _yes, darling,_ she’d _love_ to go together, and Kara had stood there stupefied for a moment the way she does every time Lena calls her darling, before smiling brightly at her, and now here they are.

Kara’s not really sure how to feel about it being the last night of camp - it almost feels like it isn’t even real. They’ve all been packing for the last few days, but packing doesn’t quite make it real. It’s only when you wake up the morning of and people start leaving that you _really_ feel it.

Sure, Kara hadn’t liked being here her first year, hadn’t really liked _anything_ in her new life, but this place has grown on her over the years. She’s not quite sure what it’ll be like not to have the knowledge that she’s coming back next summer. This place has brought her _Lena._

And that’s what does it in the end. It makes it real, but it also makes it okay. Because her time here may be ending, but her time with Lena, she hopes, is just beginning. She can make that work _(and if need be, she can always come back as a counselor like alex. maybe lena will be convinced to come along)_.

“You ready to go, darling?”

Kara’s heart flutters at the endearment the way it always does. “With you? Always.” _(and it doesn’t really make sense, but maybe it doesn’t need to)_.

Lena smiles, holding out her hand for Kara to take, and Kara does, helping her down the steps and across the treacherous grass. She breathes in deep, closes her eyes. _Yeah. I’m ready._

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Before i leave ( let me show you )( Art )](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26724073) by [Ookami777](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ookami777/pseuds/Ookami777)
  * [Before i leave ( let me show you )( Art )](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26724073) by [Ookami777](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ookami777/pseuds/Ookami777)
  * [Before I Leave (Let Me Show You) (Art)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26769244) by [Bluestonearden](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluestonearden/pseuds/Bluestonearden)




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